Tanguy, a 9th-grade SIA student who has been with us since elementary school, is a true math enthusiast. He competed in the prestigious Animath Autumn Cup, a three-hour math contest. Thanks to his outstanding performance, he was selected among the top 30 students of his level in France to join the French Math Olympic Team.
How Does the Competition Work?
The Animath Cup is a selective competition that allows the best young mathematicians to qualify for the French Math Olympic Training Program (POFM). Each year, around 30 students per level (middle and high school) are selected from across France and Abroad to join the Olympic Team, Tanguy among them!
The goal of the POFM is to train these young talents for major international math competitions. Just like the Olympic Games, each country forms a team of its best candidates to represent them.
Once admitted to the POFM, Tanguy and the other 30 selected students must take four grueling four-hour tests. Based on their results, the top performers are chosen to represent France in two prestigious competitions:
– The Francophone Math Olympiad
– The Junior Balkan Mathematical Olympiad (JBMO)
The type of math studied at POFM is known as “Olympic math.” Unlike school math, which follows predefined methods, every Olympic math problem has multiple solutions.
Let’s hear more from Tanguy himself about his experience!
Hi Tanguy, what Made You Want to Compete in the Animath Cup?
I think I’ve always loved math, but it was in 8th grade, with Mr. Santinelli, that I really got into advanced math. His teaching style makes you want to solve problems and explore.
Last year, when I was in 8th grade, I entered my first competition (the Academic Math Olympiad), even though I wasn’t as strong in math as I am now. I just thought it would be fun, and to my surprise, I finished 3rd among all French high schools abroad! That really shocked me and motivated me to push further.
That’s when I heard about the Animath Cup. I prepared with the LFS but mainly practiced a lot at home using past competition problems. And for the Autumn Cup, I made the cut!
How Do You Train for the Next Tests?
Every month, the POFM sends us a set of problems we can solve for practice. If we submit them, they review our solutions and give us feedback. I train a lot with these problems. Right now, my main goal is to score well on the upcoming tests and continue with the POFM in the years ahead because it’s such a great experience.
We also get assigned a tutor during the POFM, and mine is amazing! He’s currently in an advanced math prep program at Louis Le Grand in Paris and has already represented France in the International Math Olympiad, which is the hardest in the world. He helps me a lot.
What Do You Love About Math?
What I love is that when you solve an Olympic math problem, the solution often has a kind of elegance to it. Sometimes in number theory, a property appears almost like magic. And when you finally find the answer, you discover the reasoning that gets you there is subtle and beautiful.
For example, in geometry, you can use complex analytical geometry theorems, but sometimes a few tricks are enough to crack the whole problem. That’s what I love—Olympic math really encourages creativity. You have to think outside the box. It’s almost like solving a puzzle—you have to think beyond the paper.
Where Do You See Yourself in Math in the Future?
I’m pretty sure I want to study math after high school, though I don’t yet know exactly what career I’ll pursue. For now, that still feels far away.
Passionate and determined, Tanguy is carving out a bright future in Olympic math. Making it onto the French Math Olympic Team is just one step in his journey, and there’s no doubt he’ll go even further. Bravo and best of luck!