Thirty-one competitors earned gold medals at the 35th International Physics Olympiad, which was held in Pohang, South Korea, in July. More than 300 high-school students from 71 countries participated. Alexander Mikhalychev of Belarus earned the top score; the US’s Elena Udovina was cited for the most original solution in the theory part of the competition—she was also the highest scoring female. The team from China was the only one to win all golds, capturing first place for their country; tallied by scores, Iran took second place, followed by South Korea, Belarus, Ukraine, the US, Taiwan, Hungary, Russia, and Romania.

All five US competitors earned medals: Udovina, of Solon, Ohio, and Yi Sun of San Jose, California, took home golds; Anson Hook of Princeton, New Jersey, and Eric Mecklenburg of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, garnered silvers; and Jeffrey Middleton of Austin, Texas, won a bronze. The US team was sponsored by the...

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