Contestants of the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) 2024, which was held in Bath in the UK, are celebrating their performance, with the South African team being ranked 53rd, winning one silver and two bronze medals, according to the South African Mathematics Foundation (SAMF).
The Olympiad, which was held from 11 to 22 July, saw 609 contestants from 108 countries compete in teams.
Team SA prepared for the Olympiad under the leadership of Dylan Nelson and Kerry Porrill at the Beijing Institute of Mathematical Sciences from June 12 to July 3, as reported by IOL.
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They were joined by around 30 top-performing countries and five African teams, creating a ‘robust environment for honing their skills’.
The South African team’s medal winners consisted of Ben Maree, a grade 10 learner at Westerford High School, who won a silver medal, while Ellen Grant-Smith from Westerford High School and Moied Baleg from The Settlers High School each earned a bronze medal.
In addition, Yian Xu from Redhill School in Johannesburg received an Honourable Mention for her ‘commendable performance’.
The other team members were Eli Williams, a grade 10 learner from Westerford High School, and Youkyum Kim, a grade 11 learner from Reddam House Durbanville.
‘I was very grateful to make it into the team and happy that I achieved what I did,’ said Grant-Smith, reflecting on her experience.
‘I had a lot of fun meeting people from around the world and being able to travel,’ Grant-Smith added.
Her mother, Sarah Grant-Smith, also shared her pride.
‘We are extremely proud of her achievement as well as that she was allowed to participate in both the IMO and the mathematics camp in Beijing that preceded it,’ said Sarah.
The Olympiad, regarded as the world’s ‘largest and most prestigious mathematics competition’, challenges teams with demanding exams, with each four-and-a-half-hour exam consisting of three tasks that assess the candidates’ aptitude for mathematics.
The solutions are ‘meticulously scored’ and medals are awarded to the top performers.
‘Moied is very satisfied with his achievement and happy that the effort and preparation he put in over the previous months has paid off,’ said Abdalmonam Baleg, Moied’s father.
‘As a parent, I am extremely proud of him for putting all the work and achieving this result, and will always continue to support him. He had a great experience overseas and we are honoured to have raised him in this way,’ Abdalmonam added.
Kerstin Jordaan, executive director of SAMF, stated that the team’s success highlighted their talents and ‘underscored the important role’ the Old Mutual South African Mathematics Olympiad plays in developing young mathematicians.
The team’s success was in part due to the support of Old Mutual South Africa, the South African Institute for Chartered Accountants (SAICA), the Beijing Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Jane Street UK.
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