Ranked 12th in Individual Results
All Six Chinese Delegation Members Win Gold Medals
A Chinese high school student who overcame cerebral palsy and led his team to first place at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), where math prodigies from around the world compete, is drawing attention.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on July 22, the Chinese national team, which included Xu Qiming, a second-year student at Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone Foreign Language School, took first place at the 66th International Mathematical Olympiad, held from July 10 to 20 in Sunshine Coast, Australia.
Xu Qiming, the Chinese national team member who won first place at the International Mathematical Olympiad. Photo by Phoenix Net Weibo.
The media reported that Xu Qiming, who has cerebral palsy due to hypoxia at birth and faces limitations in physical movement and balance, surprised participants with his outstanding performance.
From the moment he entered the opening ceremony, the audience gave him a rousing round of applause. Despite his unsteady movements, he confidently appeared with his teammates, carrying the Chinese national flag, the Five-star Red Flag.
A coach of the Chinese team said, "Xu received no special treatment due to his health issues," and added, "Like the other students, he solved all the problems over two days, with each session lasting four and a half hours."
The Olympiad featured six problems in algebra, combinatorics, geometry, and number theory, administered over two days with each day allowing four hours and thirty minutes. All six Chinese team members scored full marks (35 points) on problems 1 to 5. On the most difficult sixth problem, the Chinese team earned a total of 21 points, far surpassing the second-place United States, which scored 9 points. South Korea finished third overall this year.
In individual results, Xu Qiming ranked 12th with 36 points out of 630 participants from 110 countries. All six members of the Chinese team won gold medals. The cut-off scores for gold, silver, and bronze medals were 35, 28, and 19 points, respectively.
China selects its national IMO team by choosing six final members from 30 candidates nationwide each year. The International Mathematical Olympiad was first held in Romania in 1959 and has since been hosted annually in different countries around the world. Next year, it will take place in Shanghai, China.
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