Hong Kong-born Alex Chui, a student representing the United Kingdom, has cemented his place in mathematical history after scoring a perfect 42 points at the 67th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) in Shanghai, claiming his fifth individual gold medal.
This historic win makes Chui the only participant in IMO history to collect seven medals in total, having amassed five golds and two silvers across seven consecutive appearances.
Chui, a Year 13 student at Tonbridge School, competed alongside 666 participants from around the world, securing gold alongside 55 other top-scoring contestants.
It was his seventh and final IMO appearance. He first represented Hong Kong at the age of 12, when he won a silver medal.
Reflecting on his final tournament, Chui admitted he felt the weight of the occasion before the competition began, but added that he quickly became absorbed in the problem-solving process.
He noted that a combinatorics question proved particularly challenging, though he still achieved a perfect score, and described a geometry problem as especially enjoyable despite the rigorous nine-hour testing format.
Chui’s passion for mathematics began in primary school, when he became fascinated by prime numbers and their unexpected properties. Encouraged by his early success in math competitions, he started formal Olympiad training at the age of nine.
Dominic Yeo, the UK team leader and a senior lecturer in mathematics at King’s College London, praised Chui’s performance as an "amazing achievement," noting how rare it is for someone to reach such elite levels so early in high school.
Yeo added that while IMO problems do not extend beyond high school topics, their extreme difficulty means even professional mathematicians would find the hardest questions challenging to solve in a single afternoon.
Chui is set to study mathematics at the University of Cambridge, where he looks forward to exploring advanced university-level mathematics and experiencing life as a professional mathematician.
