 |
| International Mathematical Olympiad logo |
Israelis continue to do well and are racking up medals at international intellectual Olympic competitions.
The Israeli team to the International Mathematical Olympiad in Colombia, which concluded on Saturday, came home with six medals, one gold, three silver and two bronze.
600 students from 103 countries participated in the competition. The highest medal awarded in the competition was the gold medal. Omri Solan, an eleventh grade Rishonim High School in Herzliya, won the gold medal.
Solan ranked fifth among all contestants, who won gold medals.
Israelis took home some silver medals as well. Amotz Oppenheim of Ramat Gan, Tom Kalvari of Ramat Hasharon, and Nitzan Tur of Haifa, won silver medals. The bronze medals were won by Yoav Krauz of Holon and Ofer Grossman, an Israeli citizen, who recently moved to the United States.
The Israeli team finished at thirteenth place out of 103, a huge increase compared to the 2010 Olympics in which Israel finished at 53rd place. In 2011 Israel came in at number 23 and in 2012 it came in at 31. The top five were taken by China, South Korea, the U.S., Russia and North Korea.
As part of the competition, students were required to participate in two days of tests, which included three theoretical questions each.
Shai Piron, Israel’s Education Minister, congratulated the students for their achievements. He called them Israel’s "national pride".