Math in the News
Germany's Lisa Sauermann Wins Fourth Gold Medal at 2011 IMO
July 26, 2011
At the 52nd International Mathematical Olympiad, German contestant Lisa Sauermann (pictured), won a gold medal with a perfect score of 42 points. This is the fourth gold medal she’s won in the last four IMOs, making her the best participant in the history of the contest.
The IMO is an annual six-problem, 42-point math competition held over two days. It is the oldest science olympiad in the world.
The team from the People’s Republic of China placed first overall with a total score of 189. The USA team placed second with a score of 184 and the team from Singapore placed third with a total score of 179. Sauermann’s team captured 11th place.
Country and individual results from this year's Olympiad are available on the IMO Official Website.
The IMO is the oldest science Olympiad in the world. This year’s contest was held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. A total of 564 of the world’s brightest students, among them 57 girls, from 101 countries participated.
This year, contestants with a score of at least 28 points received a gold medal. Silver medals were awarded to those garnering 22-27 points and contestants with a score of 16-21 points were awarded a bronze medal.
In addition to placing second overall, all six members of the USA team received gold medals, something the USA team last accomplished in 1994. US contestant David Yang (Phillips Exeter Academy) tied for the fourth best score among all individuals competing in the contest.
The hosting nation’s team won two silver medals, three bronze medals, and an honorable mention. The Netherlands captured the 28th spot on the rankings, which represented its best result since 1988.
Source: CWI, 2011 IMO Official Results
Watch the 2011 IMO Closing Ceremony