Eight four-time International Mathematical Olympiad gold medalists

Out of over 22,000 participants in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), only eight have won four gold medals, with the largest number coming from Germany and the US.

The IMO was first held in 1959 in Romania. It is the world's largest mathematics competition for high school students. Over the past 66 years, a total of 22,320 students have participated, with about 50% winning awards. 1,859 gold medals have been awarded.

Among them, eight contestants are considered "legendary" for winning four or more gold medals.

The most recent achiever of this feat is Alex Chui (born in 2008), with a gold medal in Australia on 20/7.

To date, Chui has participated in the IMO six times, representing two teams. In 2020-2021, he was a member of the Hong Kong (China) team, winning one silver and one gold medal. From 2022 to the present, Chui has competed for the UK team, winning an additional silver and three gold medals. He currently attends Tonbridge School.

Alex Chui. Photo: Tonbridge School

Alex Chui. Photo: Tonbridge School

Zhuo Qun Song (born in 1997) is the only contestant to have won five gold medals at the IMO. As a member of the Canadian team from 2010 to 2015, he also won a bronze medal. In his final competition in 2015, Song achieved a perfect score of 42/42.

Song was born in Tianjin, China, before moving to Canada in 2002. After graduating from high school, he studied mathematics at Princeton University. According to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign website, Song is currently a researcher in the university's Department of Mathematics, focusing on number theory.

Zhuo Qun Song. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Zhuo Qun Song. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Teodor von Burg (born in 1993) from Serbia, participated in the IMO from 7th grade. In six consecutive years (2007-2012), he won a total of four gold, one silver, and one bronze medal.

After high school, he studied mathematics at the University of Oxford, then returned to Serbia for his doctoral studies. Teodor von Burg is currently a mathematics teacher at a high school in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.

Teodor von Burg. Photo: Personal Facebook

Teodor von Burg. Photo: Personal Facebook

Lisa Sauermann (born in 1992) from Germany, is the only female student to win four IMO gold medals, including one perfect score (in 2011).

After the IMO competitions, she studied mathematics at the University of Bonn, specializing in algebraic geometry. In 2019, she moved to the US for her doctoral studies at Stanford University, focusing on extremal combinatorics and probability.

Lisa continued her postdoctoral research at Stanford University and the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), then worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 2021 to 2023. She then returned to Germany and is currently a professor at the Institute for Applied Mathematics at the University of Bonn.

Lisa Sauermann. Photo: European Women in Maths

Lisa Sauermann. Photo: European Women in Maths

Another contestant from Germany who achieved a similar feat is Christian Reiher (born in 1984).

He participated in the IMO from 1999 to 2003, winning four gold medals. Reiher later studied at Ludwig Maximilian University and received his doctorate in 2010 from the University of Rostock, both in Germany.

Currently, Christian Reiher is a professor at the University of Hamburg, researching physics and mathematics.

Christian Reiher. Photo: University of Rostock website

Christian Reiher. Photo: University of Rostock website

Among the eight contestants who have won four IMO gold medals, Nipun Pitimanaaree is the only one from Southeast Asia. The Thai native competed in the IMO five times, from 2009 to 2013.

He then studied in the US, earning bachelor's and master's degrees in computer science and electrical engineering from MIT. On his LinkedIn profile, Nipun Pitimanaaree states that he is currently a startup founder in the technology and blockchain fields.

Nipun Pitimanaaree. Photo: LinkedIn

Nipun Pitimanaaree. Photo: LinkedIn

Luke Robitaille (born in 2004), a US citizen, won IMO gold medals in all four years he participated, from 2019 to 2022.

US media reported that he was homeschooled by his parents from a young age because they believed traditional schooling was not suitable. Luke showed mathematical talent early on, exploring university-level mathematics materials at the age of eight. At 10, he began taking some graduate-level classes.

Before the IMO, Luke won first place in the Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament in 8th grade. In 2017 and 2018, he won gold medals in the Mathcounts competition for 6th-8th graders across the US.

Luke is currently studying mathematics and physics at MIT.

Luke Robitaille winning at Mathcounts. Photo: NY Times

Luke Robitaille winning at Mathcounts. Photo: NY Times

Reid W. Barton (born in 1983), also from the US, won four IMO gold medals between 1998 and 2001. In his final competition, Barton achieved a perfect score.

That same year, Barton also won a gold medal at the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI). He later studied at MIT and Harvard.