Four Australian high school students have competed in the 2022 European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO), the premier international mathematics competition for young women. The Australian team placed third overall, with each contestant achieving a gold medal for their efforts. Gold medals were only awarded to those who scored 29 or more. Of 222 contestants, only 23 walked away with gold medals.
The mathematically talented young women who competed were Grace Chang Yuan in Year 12 at Methodist Ladies’ College, VIC, Iris Xu and Cloris Xu who are twins in Year 10 at Baulkham Hills High School, NSW, and Eunsu Choi in Year 11 at Brisbane State High School, QLD.
Individually, all of the Australian team members placed in the top 10 percent. Grace Chang Yuan ranked 6th, Cloris Xu ranked 12th, Eunsu Choi ranked 15th, and Iris Xu ranked 20th.
The team’s historic individual performances also saw Australia achieve the third highest total point tally out of 57 participating countries. Australia’s 2022 team is the only one to have all of its students achieve a gold medal.
Furthermore, an Australian problem was included in the official competition, created by Ethan Tan, a former Informatics Mathematical Olympiad medalist from 2018 and a staff member of the Australian Olympiad program.
The team was selected and mentored by the Australian Maths Trust’s (AMT) mathematical Olympiad program and was supported by the AMT throughout the virtual event.
“On behalf of the Trust, I would like to congratulate Eunsu, Cloris, Iris and Grace for their outstanding achievements in this year’s EGMO competition. Achieving four gold medals is a fantastic result and we are all so excited for the young women, all of whom have a bright and exciting future in mathematical problem solving ahead of them.” Nathan Ford, CEO, AMT.
“In addition to the incredible accomplishments of our teams since 2018, the network of women and men, staff and volunteers, involved in teaching, supporting and advocating for our students in the EGMO program grows every year. There is a real momentum around this work, and we are very proud to play a role in making a tangible difference to young Australian women who want to grasp their opportunity in maths.”
This is the fifth year that the team was led by Thanom Shaw, who has been the Australian EGMO Team Leader since Australia’s inaugural team joined the Olympiad in 2018. She says that Australia’s commitment to participating in the EGMO has resulted in expanded programs and increased participation by girls in problem-solving at the highest levels.
AMT is supported by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources through the Inspiring Australia – Science Engagement Program. This funding provides talented young mathematicians with the support they need to become world leaders in innovative mathematical-based industries into the future. It is also supported by AMT’s national sponsor of the Australian Informatics and Mathematical Olympiad Programs, Optiver.
“A huge congratulations to the Australian EGMO team! These are exceptional results and a testament to the hard work and dedication of these incredibly talented young women. Optiver is proud to support the next generation of female talent as they pursue their interests in STEM related subjects in secondary school, tertiary school, and eventually encourage them to seek a career in STEM in later years.” Sarah Perrens, Head of Graduate Recruitment, Optiver.
