For Amber (Year 12) Mathematics is not just a subject, but a passion. She has competed in Mathematics Olympiads for six years and has a record that includes multiple gold medals at the European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad. In July, she took to the world’s stage once again to compete on the Australian team at the 67th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) in Shanghai, China.
In the competition 670 students from more than 100 countries competed over two days of examinations where they tackled the most challenging mathematics problems in the world. Amber certainly rose to the challenge, securing a gold medal!
Hear more from Amber as she reflects on the competition:
- What was the most challenging problem—or moment—of the Olympiad?
The most stressful thing about the IMO is that every problem is so unique, and you never quite know what you will be tested on – but this time I got lucky with both geometry on day 1 and algebra on day 2, both my strengths.
On both exam days the final problem was very hard, and I could barely get started on either of them – but it turned out OK in the end as you only needed 29 points out of 42 to get a gold med - What was the first thing that went through your mind when you saw your result?
I was quite surprised actually – my team leader had warned me that I’d made some small mistakes in my solutions, and if I had lost even one mark then I would have missed the gold medal cutoff – lucky I didn’t end up losing that mark.
Of course I was incredibly happy and proud that my years of hard work (almost six years of doing maths Olympiads) had paid off in a tangible way. But a medal is just a decoration and it’s largely up to chance; to me it’s the learning and the mathematical skills I’ve developed – and the way the Olympiads have showed me how fun maths can be – that really counts - What did you learn from competing alongside students from around the world?
Regardless of our culture, language or country, we were all fundamentally the same – young people enthusiastic about maths, with dreams and aspirations. I felt how amazing it was to be united in a pursuit with so many people, and it made me feel how important it is for all students around the world to have opportunities to develop their talents and pursue their dreams.
