A six-member Indian team ranked fourth globally in the International Mathematics Olympiad 2024, winning four gold medals, one silver and an honourable mention at the 65th IMO held at Bath, United Kingdom that concluded on July 22.
What is the International Mathematics Olympiad?
The International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) is a global math championship competition for high school students. It is held annually in a different country. The first IMO was held in 1959 in Romania, with just seven countries participating. Over the years, it has expanded to over 100 countries from across five continents.
Meet the Indian Team
The team comprised six members from different Indian cities — Advitya Mangudy (Class 11, from Pune), Ananda Bhaduri (Class 12, from Guwahati), Kanak Talwar (Class 10, from Noida), Rushil Mathur (Class 12, from Mumbai), Arjun Gupta (Class 12, from Delhi) and Siddharth Choppara (Class 12, from Pune).
The Indian team was led by IIT-Bombay professor Krishnan Sivasubramanian. While Mangudy, Bhaduri, Talwar and Mathur bagged gold medals each, Gupta won the silver medal and Choppara got an ‘honourable mention’.
Mangudy emerged as the top performer, scoring 99.34% and a total of 35 points. He, however, is not new to the game. He participated in the 2022 and 2023 editions as well, winning bronze medals at both events. His performance also got him an overall fifth ranking of ‘the best performance by an Indian team member ever’.
How Did India Fare
India ranked fourth globally with a total score of 167, just one mark behind South Korea, which was at the third position. The championship was won by team USA with a total score of 192. This was followed by China, the second winner.
The Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), which facilitated India’s participation in the IMO, said in a statement that this year was India’s “best performance since 1989, the debut year, both in terms of gold medals won and rank achieved”.
The team will be felicitated by the HBCSE in Pune on Tuesday.
Previously, India’s best rank was 7th, at the IMO in 1988 and IMO 2001. Overall, 609 students (528 male, 81 female students) participated in the IMO 2024, which saw 108 countries take part in the competition.
What PM Modi Said
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Indian team on X. “It’s a matter of immense joy and pride that India has ranked fourth in its best-ever performance in the IMO. Our contingent has brought home four golds and one silver medal. This feat will inspire several other youngsters and help make mathematics even more popular.”
