Daren was the top performing Australian of the team, which competed at the 40th Olympiad held in Budapest, Hungary, in July. The Australian team collected three silver medals and one bronze at the event. Daren finished in 53rd place out of 172 competitors. 

Prior to the Olympiad, Daren flew to London to attend a training camp at Cambridge. He said the highlight was staying at Trinity College, where Sir Isaac Newton developed his intense interest in mathematics and the laws of nature.

It was then on to Budapest where the Olympiad competitors completed two gruelling examinations comprising a five-hour practical and five-hour theory exam. Daren said that during his theory exam, he spent almost four hours on one problem and was almost ready to give up when he had a breakthrough. “It just goes to show that if you keep trying you can reach your goals,” he said.

The international atmosphere, meeting people from all over the world and experiencing the Hungarian culture were some of Daren’s highlights. “It was an intense week and a half but a challenging and rewarding experience.”

It is the second consecutive year that a Christ Church student has represented Australia in the prestigious event. Andrew Tulloch attended last year’s Olympiad and also came home with a silver medal.