Two years, two golds
The olympiad is six problems across two mornings, three per paper, four and a half hours each, seven points a problem. Talwar's 2024 line reads 7, 7, 1, 7, 7, 2 for a total of 31 and rank 19. His 2025 line reads 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 2 for 37 and rank 9.
The difference between the years is the third problem. In Bath it took five marks off him; on the Sunshine Coast he closed it completely. In both years the sixth problem, traditionally the hardest on the paper, returned two points.
What a gold medal requires
Medals are governed by the competition's own rules rather than by a fixed score: at most half the contestants receive one, and gold, silver and bronze are awarded in roughly a one to two to three ratio. Gold therefore reaches about one contestant in twelve, and the score needed for it moves each year with the difficulty of the paper.
That is why 31 points was worth gold and nineteenth place in 2024, a year in which only one contestant in the world scored a perfect 42, and 37 was worth gold and ninth place in 2025. Comparing raw totals across years measures the problems; comparing ranks measures the contestants.
India at the olympiad
India sends a full team of six, selected through a national olympiad programme that runs from regional rounds to a training camp. Indian results at the competition draw substantial domestic coverage, and gold medallists are named in the national press, which is why searches for Talwar spike each July.
The 2024 and 2025 teams produced two contestants with back-to-back golds in these records: Talwar and Adhitya Mangudy Venkata Ganesh. Two repeat gold medallists in the same two-year window is a strong indicator of the depth of the pipeline rather than of a single exceptional year.
The shape of the paper
Each olympiad paper is ordered roughly by difficulty, with the third and sixth problems the hardest of their day. Talwar's two scoresheets are a clean illustration: sevens on the first, second, fourth and fifth problems in both years, and the damage confined to the back end.
Partial credit is why those numbers exist at all. A one or a two means the contestant found a real idea and could not complete the argument inside the time; a zero would mean nothing usable was written. Talwar never recorded a zero in either year.
What is documented, and what is not
Documented by the olympiad's own results database: both years, the host cities, the field sizes of 609 and 630, India as his country, the per-problem scores, the totals, the ranks and the two gold medals.
Not documented in these sources: his age or date of birth, which is why no birth year appears here; his school or city; his results in the national selection rounds; and anything since the 2025 competition. No Indian press report naming him was collected for this file, so nothing from that coverage is reproduced here.
Watch: Kanav Talwar on camera
| Person | Country | Milestone | Age / Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kanav Talwar | India | IMO gold medals in 2024 and 2025 | — |
| Colin Shanmo Tang | United States | A perfect 42/42 at the International Mathematical Olympiad, 2019 | — |
| Youngjun Cho | South Korea | A perfect 42/42 at the International Mathematical Olympiad, 2019 | — |
| Galiia Sharafetdinova | Russia | A perfect 42/42 at the International Mathematical Olympiad, 2022 | — |
| Ihor Pylaiev | Ukraine | A perfect 42/42 at the International Mathematical Olympiad, 2022 | — |
What is documented — and what is not
✓ Documented
- Gold medal and 31 points at IMO 2024 in Bath, ranked nineteenth
- Gold medal and 37 points at IMO 2025 on the Sunshine Coast, ranked joint ninth
- 2024 per-problem scores 7, 7, 1, 7, 7, 2; 2025 scores 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 2
- Competed for India in both years
? Unverified, disputed or wrong
- No age, date of birth or school in these sources
- No national selection results recorded here
- Nothing documented after the 2025 competition
Questions people ask about Kanav Talwar
What has Kanav Talwar won?
Gold medals at the International Mathematical Olympiad in both 2024 and 2025, representing India.
How old is Kanav Talwar?
No age or date of birth appears in the sources used here.
What were his scores?
31 out of 42 in 2024, for nineteenth place, and 37 out of 42 in 2025, for joint ninth.
Why is 31 a gold medal in one year and not in another?
Gold is defined by proportion, not by a fixed score. About one contestant in twelve takes gold, so the threshold moves with the difficulty of the paper.
Which problems did he lose marks on?
The third and the sixth in 2024, and only the sixth in 2025.
Is Kanav Talwar on Wikipedia?
No standalone article is recorded for him in this file.
Which other Indian contestant won two golds in those years?
Adhitya Mangudy Venkata Ganesh, who took gold in 2024 and 2025.
Where is Kanav Talwar now?
The sources used here do not say.
Quick quiz: how well do you know Talwar’s story?
How many IMO gold medals has Kanav Talwar won?
What was his score in 2025?
Which problem returned two points in both his years?
Sources
- IMO 2025 individual results — International Mathematical Olympiad (official), 2025
- IMO 2024 individual results — International Mathematical Olympiad (official), 2024
Checked by the Geniuses.club editorial team. Ages are given as of September 2026.
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