In a historic first, an all-female team of young Israeli mathematics students took home every medal possible at the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO) in Slovenia. These young Israeli math enthusiasts won the gold, silver, and bronze medals after competing against 214 contestants from 54 countries worldwide.
Not only was this an extraordinary achievement for these young students, but one student, in particular, stood out from the crowd. Participant Noga Friedman not only took home the gold medal for her achievements but ranked 1st competition wide with a "perfect score."
The three students who represented Israel at the EGMO competition hailed from Rehovot and Herzliya, between grades 10 and 12. Noga Friedman, who took home gold, and Neta Ilani, who won the bronze medal, are both from Rehovot and attend De Shalit High School. Friedman is in 11th grade, and Ilani is in 10th grade. The silver medalist, Yara Shulman, is in 12th grade at Rishonim High School and hails from Herzliya.
What is the European Mathematics Olympiad for Girls?
The European Mathematics Olympiad for Girls (EGMO) is a competition that has been held since 2012. This is not Israel's first time participating, having participated in its eighth competition since entering the ranks in 2016. Since Israel's involvement in the competitive series began, Israeli female math enthusiasts have won an impressive 19 medals in the Olympiad.
The competition consisted of multiple exam days, requiring contestants to take a four-and-a-half-hour exam. The exam consisted of 3 extremely difficult questions in the fields of elementary mathematics: Algebra, combinatorics, geometry and number theory.
Education Minister Yoav Kish expressed excitement and gratitude for the competition winners.
"I am very proud of our students who traveled to represent us with honor in the European Math Olympiad and won. They have proven that perseverance, determination and effort are the keys to success. Each one of them represents our future generation and I am confident that many more successes are in store for you," he said.
Assaf Tselal, Director General of the Education Ministry added, "We are proud of our female students' team, the educators who support and accompany them, and the schools where they are educated. Their impressive achievements inspire admiration, pride and immense inspiration. I am sure that the members of the team, and other students who will follow in their footsteps, will lead the State of Israel to the forefront of the world stage."
Chairman of the Center for Future Scientists, Yarom Ariav, also responded to the major success accomplished by these three young women. "The achievements of Israeli students in the European Mathematics Olympiad for girls inspire respect, appreciation and admiration and are a source of pride and a golden opportunity to rise to the national level. The talented Israeli students competed against the best from all over the world and displayed extraordinary abilities, and for that they deserve great appreciation."