Published on: 2026-09-03
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Five students from Novosibirsk State University represented the university at International Mathematics Competition (IMC) — an international mathematics competition among students, which took place in the city of Blagoevgrad (Bulgaria). Based on the results of the olympiad, the NSU team took 20th place among more than 70 universities.
The best result within the team was shown by Ivan Frolov, second-year master’s student Faculty of Natural Sciences (FNS). He scored 67 points and ranked 31st to 35th among 447 participants. For Ivan, this was already his fourth performance at IMC — and each time he became a gold medalist.
The silver medalist was a third-year student Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics (FMM) Valery Pyatkin, scoring 52 points. For Valery, this was his second participation in the competition. A year ago he received a bronze medal, and this year he managed to rise to the next step of the podium.
— I decided to participate for the second time because I enjoyed last year’s trip. I also wanted to test my skills in solving olympiad problems, — Valery says.
This year the student devoted more time to preparation, setting a specific goal for himself:
— This year I decided to try to win at least a silver medal, so I prepared for the olympiad more diligently than last time. It was easier for me this year to solve problems and present their solutions.
The tasks related to matrices were the most interesting for Valery, and one of them stood out especially due to its unusual combination of mathematical branches.
— The second and eighth problems were the most interesting because I love olympiad problems with matrices. The seventh problem seemed the most unusual because it was a mix of mathematical analysis and angle measure, and at the IMC geometry problems are practically absent, — Valery shares.
Valery learned about the results with joy and relief:
— I was almost certain that I would win the silver, but often thoughts arose: “What if I don’t succeed?”
Another member of the team is Stanislav Elovatsky, a first-year master’s student at MMF. This was his fourth appearance at the IMC. In the previous three competitions, Stanislav became a gold medalist.
Timofey Vasilyev, a first-year master’s student at MMF, participated in the IMC for the third time. Previously, he won bronze and silver medals in the competition.
For Denis Devyatov, a third-year student of MMF, the current IMC was his first performance. Participating in the competition became an opportunity for him to gain international experience and test his skills among the best mathematics students.
Experience and teamwork
The NSU team includes students with extensive experience participating in mathematical olympiads. According to Valery, this was one of the factors that helped the team achieve a high result:
— It seems to me that our team was especially helped by the fact that it consisted of people who had extensive experience in solving olympiad problems.
Training in competition mathematics, held at NSU, plays a major role in preparing students for competitions. These are organized by the university’s teachers and coaches, including a candidate of physico-mathematical sciences. Anatoly Ruban and associate professor of the Department of Mathematical Analysis, Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics, NSU Danila Belousov. In classes, students systematically work through unconventional problems, train in conditions close to those of competitions, and prepare for contests of various levels.
Gradually, students from the lower courses are also joining the Olympiad movement. The university continues to build a team that will be able to represent NSU in Russian and international competitions in the future.
You can follow the training schedule, team news, and information about the Olympiads in the NSU group: NSU — Mathematical Olympiads
New sessions will begin in October. Stay tuned for announcements and join the preparation — perhaps you will be the next member of the NSU team at the international olympiad.
Material prepared by: Yulia Dankova, NSU press service
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