Teen who began high school math in Grade 7 to compete in world's most prestigious youth math competition

A Saskatoon teenager is off to Japan for the world's most prestigious youth math competition.

Haozhe Yang is one of several Canadian youth to qualify for the International Mathematical Olympiad in Japan next month.

"First of all, I'm very excited," said the Walter Murray Collegiate Grade 12 student. "In this competition, I can show some of my hard work. For this International Olympiad, I've been working hard for the past five years to reach (it)."

Yang began taking high school math classes in Grade 7, and had completed all of them by the time he arrived at Walter Murray for Grade 9.

While taking the rest of his high school classes, he moved on to university-level math. University of Saskatchewan math professor Steven Rayan says Yang scored a final mark of 100 per cent in a recent upper year class.

Rayan, also the director of the University of Saskatchewan Quantum Research Centre, is confident Yang will do well in Japan.

"I'm totally not surprised. He's one of the finest students I've encountered in my entire career.... I have every confidence in him. The competition won't know what hit it," Rayan said.

"I think that we will be hearing much more about Haozhe in the future. I think his story is only just beginning."

Walter Murray teacher and math club supervisor Jonathan McKee said Yang works hard, but he also helps his fellow students. Yang gives regular lectures during math club.

McKee and Rayan said he wants to be successful and place as high as possible, but his greatest joy is interacting with others about math.

Yang thanked all the teachers and professors who've helped him achieve this goal of qualifying. He remembers retired Walter Murray math teacher Janet Christ helping with the technical aspects of the problems, but also providing invaluable practical help.

Yang wrote a national exam and failed to qualify for the Canadian junior championships. Christ analyzed Yang's work and realized the supervisors had graded it incorrectly. His mark was adjusted upward. He qualified for the next two rounds and finished second in Canada.

"It is wonderful that he has achieved his goal.... The journey has been arduous but definitely worth every moment," Christ said in a written response.

The 11-day competition begins July 2 in Chiba, Japan. This fall, Yang is off to Harvard University on a full scholarship.