In 2023, the Romanian pupils again achieved a remarkable result at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) in Japan: five gold and one silver medals, thus placing Romania in 1st place in Europe and 4th in the world, after China, the United States and South Korea.
The Romanian team was coordinated by assoc. prof. Cătălin-Liviu Gherghe, PhD, teaching staff and vice-dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science of the University of Bucharest, and complemented by lect. Mihai Chiș, PhD, teaching staff at the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science of the West University of Timișoara, by Lucian Țurea, from the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science of the University of Bucharest, as well as by Ana Naghi, observer from the Ministry of Education.
This year, the Romanian Olympians beat the record of 194 points recorded in 2022, after collecting 208 points, thus establishing the highest score of the Romanian team since 1995, when 230 points were recorded. The students had two days of tests, each lasting 4 and a half hours.
The laureates of the International Mathematical Olympiad 2023 (IMO 2023), who obtained five gold and one silver medals, are:
David-Andrei Anghel, 11th grade, who also obtained a gold medal in 2022 and a silver medal in 2021. He is a pupil at the International Informatics High School in Bucharest.
Andrei Moldovan, 12th grade, who won silver medal at IMO 2022 and 2021. He is a pupil at the International High School of Informatics in Bucharest.
Pavel Ciurea, 10th grade, new to the team, pupil at the International Informatics High School in Bucharest.
Robert Dragomirescu, 12th grade, who obtained a gold medal in 2022 and Mention at IMO 2021. He is a pupil at the International High School of Informatics in Bucharest.
Andrei-Giovani Chiriță, 11th grade, who won a silver medal at the previous IMO edition and a bronze medal in 2021. He is a pupil at the “Tudor Vianu” National College of Informatics in Bucharest.
Radu-Andrei Lecoiu, 12th grade, who got silver at IMO 2022, and a bronze medal in 2021. He is a pupil at the International Informatics High School in Bucharest.
Cătălin-Liviu Gherghe, the mentor of the best mathematicians
In recent years, assoc. prof. Cătălin Gherghe was part of the team of mentors who coordinated the teams of students with outstanding results at the International Mathematical Olympiad. Graduated from the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science of the University of Bucharest in 1991, he obtained the title of doctor in Mathematics in 1999, with the thesis “Harmonic applications in Riemannian and Hermitian manifolds”, under the coordination of prof. Stere Ianuș, PhD.
Since graduating from the faculty, he occupied academic positions from preparer (1991), assistant (1994), lecturer (2000) and associate professor (2006).
He teaches the Geometry course in the first year of the bachelor’s degree program and held seminars on Geometry, Differential Geometry, Riemannian Geometry, Harmonic Applications.Professor Gherghe has a prolific publishing activity, being the author of several articles published in international journals, as well as the volumes Projective geometry problems, Bucharest University Press, 2000, and Cryptography. Codes. Algorithms, Bucharest University Press, 2005 (in collaboration with Dorin Popescu).
In an interview given to Europa Liberă Romania, the coordinator stated that the pupils who end up winning medals at international mathematics competitions are endowed with a native intelligence, which helps them achieve performance.
“The Olympians, especially the top ones, we have to admit that they are different from the others, in the sense that there is a native gift. Not everyone, not every student, no matter how hard he works, will be able to reach the performances of an Olympian, that is, the one who also has something native. So, this is the starting point. If a pupil who has something native works 10 hours and one who, let’s say, does not have this gift work the same amount of time, the difference is already made”, stressed assoc. prof. Gherghe.
The complete academic profile of assoc. prof. Cătălin-Liviu Gherghe can be consulted here.
The final results by country at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IOM) in Japan can be consulted on the competition’s official website, imo-official.org.