British pupil makes history in prestigious international mathematics competition

A school pupil has made history by becoming the most decorated competitor in the International Mathematical Olympiad's existence.

Alex Chui, a Year 13 pupil at Tonbridge School in Kent, achieved a flawless score of 42 out of 42 at this year's contest in Shanghai, finishing joint first and claiming his fifth gold medal.

With five golds and two silvers to his name, Alex now holds the all-time record for the most successful individual performance at the most renowned academic competition for school-age students worldwide – which has been held annually since 1959.

The achievement came at what the 18-year-old confirmed would be his final appearance at the Olympiad as he prepares to move on to university.

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Britain's six-member squad, entered by the United Kingdom Maths Trust with backing from Jane Street Europe, secured eighth place among 117 nations competing in Shanghai.

Alex was joined on the gold medal step by Kevin Wai of Magdalen College School.

Yuvan Raja from the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, took silver, while bronze medals went to Adavya Goyal, of St Paul's School, as well as Anango Prabhat and Michael Sydorenko, from King's College London Maths School.

The squad was assembled through a demanding selection process, involving two rounds of examinations conducted across schools throughout the country.

It also featured several training camps run by UKMT, paying off when the British team brought home two golds, a silver, and three bronzes.

Speaking after the achievement, Alex said: "I really cherished this experience of my last IMO in China, getting to compete alongside my teammates and meet other contestants from around the world.

"I am very happy to be able to round it off with a perfect score, and now looking forward to life at university."

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Dr Dominic Yeo, a senior lecturer in mathematics at King's College London who served as the team's leader, said: "To have solved every problem perfectly at IMO 2026 is a formidable achievement, and Alex's five Gold medals are a reflection of his hard work over many years, and remarkable problem-solving creativity."

Competitors faced two examination papers spread across two days, each lasting four and a half hours and comprising three problems that grew progressively harder.

Of the 666 students who sat the papers, just 55 earned gold medals.

Dr Yeo added: "IMO problems are always challenging, and finding the right approaches to this year's hardest tasks was genuinely demanding."

Dr Geoff Smith, chair of trustees at UKMT, described the British pupils' showing as "dazzling" and called Alex's record as the most decorated IMO contestant of all time "astonishing".

Dr Smith added the team's performance "will lift the spirits of everyone who celebrates excellence in education and problem-solving".

The IMO is the world's longest-running and most prestigious mathematics competition for secondary school pupils, having first debuted nearly seven decades ago.

Alex's seven-medal haul across multiple years surpasses all previous competitors in the event's history.

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