Students from Bosnia and Herzegovina have once again proven that mathematical brilliance knows no borders, securing a gold medal, two silvers, a bronze and two honorable mentions at the 67th International Mathematical Olympiad held in Shanghai. Competing against 117 countries, the BiH team finished 32nd overall, ahead of established powerhouses like Romania and Canada, and marking the sixth consecutive year that Bosnian students have ranked among the world’s top 40. The 2026 results continue a remarkable ascent that saw the country achieve its best ever 13th place at the 2024 IMO in the United Kingdom, where it won three gold medals for the first time in its 33 year participation history.
The undisputed star is 17 year old Vuk Janković, a student at Jovan Dučić Gymnasium in Trebinje, who claimed his third consecutive IMO gold medal. Janković first made history in 2024 when, as a first grader, he became the first BiH competitor ever to win gold at the IMO, a feat he has now repeated three times. Earlier this year, he achieved a perfect score at the 43rd Balkan Mathematical Olympiad in Greece, becoming the first competitor from a permanent member country to do so. Silver medals in Shanghai went to Andrej Krčmar, who closed his IMO career with one gold and three silvers, making him the second most successful competitor in BiH history, and Adnan Osmić, who repeated his 2025 success and now sits fourth on the country’s all time list. The bronze went to Harun Memić, the team’s youngest member, who came just one point shy of silver.
Behind these achievements lies a carefully cultivated ecosystem of talent development. All six competitors are products of the Mathematics School for Gifted Students and intensive mathematics camps organized by the Association of Mathematicians of Sarajevo Canton. The association has built a model that punches well above its weight, with Saturday classes, winter and summer camps, and a rigorous selection process that funnels the best performers through the Balkan Mathematical Olympiad and into IMO training. The Bosnia & Herzegovina Futures Foundation has also sponsored students from rural areas to ensure that talent, not geography, determines who gets to compete.
The results carry significance beyond medals. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s mathematical renaissance comes at a time when the country faces deep political and economic challenges, and when many of its brightest young minds often look abroad for opportunities. The success of Janković, Krčmar, and their teammates offers a powerful counter narrative, that excellence can be nurtured at home, that a fractured country can unite around intellectual achievement, and that a small nation can compete with the world’s best when it invests in its youth. As Janković still has another year of eligibility and a new generation waits in the wings, the question is no longer whether Bosnia and Herzegovina belongs on the IMO stage. It is how high they can climb next.
