Congratulations to Tiger Z. '25 and Team USA on their international victory this summer at the world's most prestigious math competition, the International Math Olympiad (IMO)!
Competing against 108 countries in Bath, England, the national team secured 1st place for only the fifth time since 1994 and the ninth time in competition history. The United States narrowly defeated China, 192 to 190, ending China's five-year winning streak. South Korea placed third with 168 points, while India came fourth with 167.
Tiger earned an individual Gold Medal, a distinction given to approximately the top 8% of competitors in the IMO. He received perfect marks on three of the six problems in the nine-hour exam, which took place over two days and required students to write rigorous, logically sound proofs. "Tiger's love of mathematics, rather than competitiveness, has driven him over the years," said Sierra Canyon Math Team Coach Chris Tillman.
The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) oversees a year-and-a-half-long process to select the top six high school students from the Math Olympiad Program, the USA's national team training program. Throughout the previous school year, Tiger excelled in a series of "Team Selection Tests," ultimately being chosen from his cohort to compete in the IMO.
For Tiger, making the USA team and representing his country in international competition was a dream come true. "I met mathletes from all over the world, bonded over challenging problems and exciting events, and explored the beautiful cities of London and Bath," Tiger shared. "The IMO has made me realize just how precious the path of practice, making mistakes, and improvement is."
Next year's IMO will take place in Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. Tiger, a current senior in the Upper School, is eligible to compete for Team USA again next summer.
Click here to read MAA's announcement of Team USA's success.
