It’s less than a week to go to until the Paris Olympics begin, and Australians are already bringing home medals. The Australian International Mathematical Olympiad team has just participated in the 65th annual International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) in Bath in the UK, from 10-22 July 2024.
This year’s team achieved 4 medals and two honourable mentions, which resulted in Australia ranking 38th out of the 108 countries that took part in the IMO competition.
“We are so proud of the Australian IMO team and congratulate the team on their achievements. They should be incredibly proud of their result as it is a reflection of their hard work, dedication and passion for mathematical problem solving,” said Nathan Ford, AMT CEO.
The team’s results were as follows:
| Name | Points | Medal |
|---|---|---|
| Xiangyue (Laura) Nan | 30 pts | Gold Medal |
| William Cheah | 24 pts | Silver Medal |
| Cloris Xu | 17 pts | Bronze Medal |
| Iris Xu | 16 pts | Bronze Medal |
| Alex Qui | 15 pts | Honourable Mention |
| Amber Li | 11 pts | Honourable Mention |
This year’s IMO team comprised students from Victoria and New South Wales ranging from Year 9 to Year 12. For the first time in Australian history, the team included four young women, with Xiangyue (Laura) Nan the first young woman from Australia to be awarded a Gold Medal at the IMO.
The team has been working hard in Bath, which began with a pre-IMO training camp at Oxford University, followed by the ‘Mathematics Ashes’ – a bit of fun between Australia and the UK – whereby the two countries are pitted against each other with a practice exam in the training camp. The UK scored the ‘Ashes’ urn this year.
“I would like to congratulate the team again on their result and on behalf of the Trust, thank Angelo Di Pasquale, Hadyn Tang and the rest of our incredible maths Olympiad team that supports our young students in reaching their potential,” said Ford.
“Australia’s strong performance is inspiring, particularly as our nation will host IMO 2025 on the Sunshine Coast next July. The Trust is looking forward to welcoming the brightest minds in mathematics from all over the world, and can’t wait to see how our Australian students perform on home soil,” Mr Ford concluded.
For more information on IMO, visit imo-official.org. For more information on the Australian Maths Trust, visit amt.edu.au
Media backgrounder
About the IMO
Australia’s IMO program is run by the Australian Maths Trust, and supported by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science and Resources.
The Trust’s National Sponsor of the Mathematical Olympiad program is Optiver.
The 2024 IMO team and their results
The Australian team members for the 2024 IMO, which took place in Bath, UK, on 10-22 July 2024, and their results:
| Name | State | School | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Cheah | VIC | Scotch College | Silver Medal |
| Amber Li | NSW | Pymble Ladies’ College | Honourable Mention |
| Xiangyue (Laura) Nan | VIC | Fintona Girls’ School | Gold Medal |
| Alex Qiu | NSW | James Ruse Agricultural High School | Honourable Mention |
| Cloris Xu | NSW | Baulkham Hills High School | Bronze Medal |
| Iris Xu | NSW | Baulkham Hills High School | Bronze Medal |
About Australian Maths Trust (AMT)
AMT’s vision is to develop a nation of creative problem solvers, and they believe maths is the most effective way to get students there. The AMT’s competitions and programs provide an opportunity for young Australians to challenge and extend their creative problem-solving skills and prepare them for a future of real-world problems.