The U.S. high school students will be riding on the back of last year’s team victory, the first U.S. win in 20 years. This year over 100 of the world’s best teams will meet in Hong Kong July 6-16 to try their hand at some of the world’s most challenging proof-style problems. The U.S. team will be accompanied again by head coach Po-Shen Loh (Carnegie Mellon University) and deputy coach Razvan Gelca (Texas Tech University).
The team members are:Ankan Bhattacharya (International Academy East, Troy, Michigan)Michael Kural (Greenwich High School, Riverside, Connecticut)Allen Liu (Penfield Senior High School, Penfield, New York)Junyao Peng (Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science, Princeton, New Jersey)Ashwin Sah (Jesuit High School, Portland, Oregon)Yuan Yao (Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire)
Two are veteran competitors; Liu and Kural were both on last year’s winning team. Competing in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in what has been called the hardest-ever IMO, Liu earned a gold medal for his individual score, and Kural took home a silver.
Each year the U.S. team members are selected through a series of competitions organized by the MAA American Mathematics Competitions program. The teammates are currently attending the MAA’s Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program, which is hosted at Carnegie Mellon University from June 7 through July 2. The six team members are among 70 other rising mathematics students honing their problem-solving skills in the weeks leading up to the IMO.
Although another team victory would be exciting, Loh said the training has a broader goal. “We’ve been running the national Olympiad training program with a focus on the long-term development of our country’s mathematical talent,” he said. “My objective is to deliver an enriching experience and develop a sense of mission to use [students’] analytical talents to improve the future of the world.”
About AMCThe mission of the MAA's American Mathematics Competitions is to increase interest in mathematics and to develop problem-solving skills through participation in a fun competition.
About MAAThe Mathematical Association of America is the world’s largest community of mathematicians, students, and enthusiasts. We accelerate the understanding of our world through mathematics. Mathematics drives society and shapes our lives.
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