A YORK science whizz kid is to represent the UK at an international physics competition.

Charles Strickland-Constable, a pupil at St Peter's School, took the top prize in the 2004 British Physics Olympiad.

He will now travel to South Korea as part of a team and take part in two five-hour examinations competing against 79 other countries.

David Morris, the school's head of physics, said: "This is an outstanding achievement and is just reward for the interest and dedication that Charles has shown to the subject of physics throughout his time at St Peter's. We wish him every success in South Korea."

Charles also shared the national physics laboratory theoretical prize awarded to the student scoring the highest marks in all of the Olympiad papers sat so far.

He has been offered a place at Cambridge to read maths and is captain of the tennis and fencing teams.

Updated: 09:48 Saturday, May 15, 2004