India’s Historic Success at the International Mathematics Olympiad: A Story of Collaboration and Dedication

Eighteen-year-old Ananda Bhaduri has always been fascinated by mathematics. Growing up in Guwahati, he immersed himself in advanced mathematical topics that were not part of the typical school curriculum. Last year, he delved into online archives of challenging math problems, carefully selecting the toughest ones to solve—sometimes working alone and at other times collaborating with friends online.

Earlier this year, in July, Bhaduri was ecstatic to learn that he had won a gold medal in the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO).

Bhaduri was a member of a six-person Indian team that made history at this year’s IMO. Along with three other team members who also secured gold medals, one who won a silver, and another who received an honorable mention, the Indian team achieved the fourth position among 108 participating countries—India’s highest ranking since it first participated in the olympiad in 1989.

Mathematical success stories often highlight extraordinary talent, but in this case, it was the result of disciplined practice and international collaboration.

The Olympiad

The IMO, the oldest of the international science olympiads, has been an annual event since its inception in Romania in 1959. It has gained a near-mythical status, with many of its medalists going on to become renowned mathematicians, including some who have won the Fields Medal, the highest honor in mathematics. Notable IMO medalists include Terence Tao, considered one of the greatest living mathematicians, and the late Maryam Mirzakhani, the first woman to win the Fields Medal.

Each year, over a hundred countries send teams of six contestants to the IMO, accompanied by a team leader, a deputy leader, and a group of observers. This year, the IMO was held in Bath, U.K.

The Indian team comprised Adhitya Mangudy Venkata Ganesh (Pune), Ananda Bhaduri (Guwahati), Kanav Talwar (Noida), Rushil Mathur (Mumbai), Arjun Gupta (Delhi), and Siddharth Choppara (Pune). Ganesh, Bhaduri, Talwar, and Mathur won gold medals, Gupta secured a silver, and Choppara received an honorable mention.

The team was led by Krishnan Sivasubramanian, a professor of mathematics at IIT Bombay, and Rijul Saini, a visitor at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), Mumbai. The observers were Rohan Goyal, an undergraduate student at the Chennai Mathematical Institute, and Mainak Ghosh, a postdoctoral fellow at the Indian Statistical Institute, Bengaluru.

A Unique Examination

In India, science students are no strangers to competitive exams, but the IMO stands out due to its unique format and syllabus. Unlike exams such as the IIT-Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), which focuses on solving numerous problems in a short time, the IMO presents only six problems of increasing difficulty, to be solved over two days. Each problem is worth 7 marks, with a total possible score of 42 marks.

The problems are drawn from topics both familiar, such as algebra and combinatorics, and unfamiliar, such as number theory. Algebra involves the manipulation of variables, number theory explores the properties of whole numbers, and combinatorics deals with counting, selection, and arrangement of objects.

Importantly, contestants are not required to know calculus. According to the IMO’s Wikipedia entry, the problems are designed to “incentivize finding elegant, deceptively simple-looking solutions that require ingenuity.”

The Road to Selection

Bhaduri’s journey with the mathematics olympiad began four years ago when he first participated in the Indian Olympiad Qualifier for Mathematics (IOQM), the initial step toward being selected for the IMO team.

The next step is the Regional Math Olympiad (RMO), a three-hour exam with six challenging problems, described by the HBCSE as having a “high level of difficulty and sophistication.” Those who excel in the RMO move on to the Indian National Math Olympiad (INMO).

The top 65 performers in the INMO are invited to the International Mathematics Olympiad Training Camp (IMOTC), where they receive instruction from established mathematicians and practice solving complex problems.

Though Bhaduri was selected to attend the IMOTC in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted his plans. When he was selected again this year to attend the camp at the Chennai Mathematical Institute, he was thrilled.

Recalling his experience at the camp, Bhaduri said, “It was the best experience of my life.”

At the IMOTC, participants undergo several selection tests, with the top six performers chosen to represent India at the IMO. Before heading to the competition, the team undergoes an additional 8-10 days of training at the HBCSE.

The Secret to Success

Prithwijit De, associate professor at HBCSE and national coordinator of the mathematics olympiad program, noted that students who attend the IMOTC typically already have a strong grasp of fundamental mathematical concepts. “This is probably because they have access to multiple sources on the internet,” he explained.

The training camp focuses on topics not usually covered in school syllabi and places students in a rigorous regimen of practicing difficult problems expected at the IMO.

A key factor in this year’s success was the collaborative effort between the Indian and Iranian olympiad teams in preparing the candidates. For the first time, trainers from both countries jointly developed practice test questions, which were then used by candidates from both teams. This “cross-cultural collaboration,” as Dr. De described it, was inspired by similar collaborations between other olympiad teams, such as those from the U.K. and Hungary, who “have been training together for a long time now.”

However, Dr. De cautioned that it is difficult to isolate the specific factors that contributed to the candidates’ performance, as many had already undertaken independent training before attending the camp.

For example, Ganesh, another gold medalist, credited his success to training with M. Prakash, founder of the Pune-based M. Prakash Institute, which prepares students for both the IIT-JEE and olympiads.

“I don’t know what percentage of our training helped them and what percentage of this cross-cultural training helped them. It’s very hard to distinguish between the effects of all these factors,” Dr. De remarked. “But this year, we tried something different.”

Looking Ahead

Other countries have expressed interest in collaborating with India’s olympiad program to jointly train their candidates, Dr. De revealed. The Indian team plans to continue its collaboration with Iran and expand its collaborative efforts.

A detailed training plan for the coming year is being developed by a “dynamic group full of young people,” according to Dr. De.

The HBCSE also aims to increase female participation in the IMO. The absence of women in this year’s team reflects a broader trend, with less than 10% of IMO participants between 2000 and 2021 being women.

In response, the U.K. launched the European Girls Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO) in 2012, now involving over 50 countries. Each country can send a four-member team to the EGMO.

India first participated in the EGMO in 2015 and initially struggled to field a full team. It is only in the last “three or four editions,” Dr. De said, “that we have had a full-strength team.”

A group of 16 girls has already been selected for the EGMO training camp, scheduled for December this year at the Chennai Mathematical Institute. From this group, four will be chosen to represent India at EGMO 2025. “We hope that this will inspire more girls to come forward and take interest in the IMO,” Dr. De added.