The four participating Cuban students in the 41st Ibero-American Mathematics Olympiad (OIM), held in Buenos Aires from September 6 to 13, won medals and secured the Puerto Rico Cup, finishing in sixth place among 21 participating countries.
The Cuban Ministry of Education (MINED) reported the results on Saturday via its account on the social media platform X, indicating that Marcel Gamez Salvó, Erick Díaz Pérez, Heidy Rodríguez Fuentes, and Diego García Rodríguez were the architects of the achievement: Gamez Salvó won gold; Díaz Pérez, silver; and Rodríguez Fuentes and García Rodríguez secured bronze.
The institution rated the performance as "a source of pride for Cuban education." In the overall ranking by nations, Brazil took the lead with 123 points, followed by Mexico with 117 points—thanks to two golds and two silvers—and Spain in third place with 112 points, according to the Mexican media outlet La Jornada.
Cuba finished in sixth place in the overall medal standings and earned the Puerto Rico Cup, "an award given to the country that shows the most improvement in its team results compared to previous editions," the MINED specified.
The competition, which has been held since 1985 and brings together young people from Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries, took place at the University of Palermo, organized by the Argentine Mathematical Olympiad (OMA). The 83 participants faced six unique problems, designed by professional mathematicians from the participating countries, spread over two sessions of four and a half hours each, with no access to calculators or reference materials. Each delegation could present up to four students, and the maximum possible score was 42 points.
The result of this year represents a significant improvement compared to previous editions. In the 2023 OIM, held in Brazil, Cuba only won two bronze medals; and in the 2025 event in Chile, the delegation earned one silver and two bronze medals. The gold medal won by Gamez Salvó in Buenos Aires marks a qualitative leap in the performance of young Cuban mathematicians in this regional competition.
The achievement is part of an active year for Cuban students in international competitions: in June, the island's delegation won ten medals at the Ibero-American Olympiad in Informatics 2026 —three silvers and seven bronzes—, and in August five young Cubans stood on the podium at the International Earth Sciences Olympiad, held in Italy.
All of this takes place amid a deep economic crisis in Cuba, with severe shortages of resources and personnel for the educational system. This school year began on the island with a deficit of thousands of teachers and facilities in significant disrepair.
Roberto Morales Ojeda, Secretary of Organization and Political Affairs of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, seized the moment, as the regime typically does, to advocate for the political value of triumph: "These young people are a living proof that Cuban education, even amidst blockades and limitations, develops high-level talents."
The main source of the blockades and limitations was not mentioned, at the right time, by the Cuban official.
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