July 22, 2023: The self-taught boy from Bangalore makes India proud in the International Championship of Mathematics.
Atul Shatavart Nadig, a student from Shri Ram Global School in Whitefield, won gold in the 64th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), which took place from July 2 to 13 in Chiba, Japan.
The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), conducted yearly in a new nation, is the worldwide championship of Mathematics competition for high school students. Seven nations took part in the first IMO, which was held in Romania in 1959. From five continents, it has steadily increased to over 100 nations.
This year, six students represented the Indian team brilliantly. The nation won two gold, two silver, and two bronze medals and was placed 9th out of 112 nations. Arjun Gupta of Delhi also won gold at the competition, partnering Atul.
“In terms of Olympiad Math, I am mostly self-taught. Ever since grade 10, I have been doing Olympiad Math, through the Art of Problem Solving website, classes on the Online Math Club, and handouts by Evan Chen, a past Olympiad medalist. I won a gold medal and placed 12th overall in this year’s event,” said Atul.
He obtained an excellent score of 1600 on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) last year. The SATs aim to assess a candidate's writing, verbal, and mathematical abilities. If you would like to apply to undergraduate programs, especially in the US and Canada, you must take the SAT exam.
He said that he will continue his future studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States to study mathematics and computer science. He is the founder and director of the Sophie Fellowship, a program that prepares Indian students to be ready for math competitions. He states that his program connects him with more students who do not know the opportunities of pursuing mathematics as a career.
India has now made it into the Top 10 for the fourth time. Prithwijit De, from the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education in Mumbai; Sahil Mhaskar, from the Chennai Mathematical Institute; Anant Mudgal, from the University of California; and Pranjal Srivastava, from MIT, were also on the team.