Awards Ceremony
The second day's reports are now complete.
Mathematicians from various countries shook hands with Shen Qi, chatted warmly, and offered their congratulations.
The media surrounded Shen Qi, believing he had a strong chance of winning this year's Fields Medal.
A reporter from CCTV Radio's international channel stationed in Brazil asked Shen Qi: "Shen Qi, you have completed a systematic study of the Riemann Hypothesis and Riemann Theorem using three expressions. Can you tell this layman in mathematics what the significance and role of the Riemann Hypothesis and Riemann Theorem are for the contemporary Mathematics Community and scientific communities?"
"Of course it's meaningful," Shen Qi said confidently. He explained, "Many of the highly abstract aspects of modern mathematics are reasonable. Many difficult problems that once stumped mathematicians have been solved at this level of abstraction, such as the Riemann Hypothesis. The extreme rigor of modern mathematics is also reasonable; it avoids errors and makes thorough thinking possible, which is essential for many difficult problems."
"Hmm." The reporter from CCTV Radio International Channel pretended to understand. What he needed to do was to truthfully report the on-site interview to the Chinese people and the people of the world, "Shen Qi, the Chinese people have high hopes for you. You are the only Chinese mathematician to give a one-hour high-level report at this International Congress of Mathematicians. The Chinese people yearn for a Fields Medal, so are you under a lot of pressure?"
"Not much pressure," Shen Qi replied casually. "I've done everything I was supposed to do, so I have no pressure."
Reporter: "You have a really good attitude."
Shen Qi: "But I believe that the Fields Medal will one day belong to the Chinese, Fields Medal for the Chinese people."
Reporter: "Good luck! We're really looking forward to the draw in six days."
Over the next few days, Shen Qi attended several Q&A sessions, answering questions from number theory experts from various countries and the IMU regarding the RT Third Expression.
Because of the groundwork laid beforehand, Shen Qi's answers went relatively smoothly.
Two other leading candidates, Australian mathematician Williamson and French mathematician Sophia Morrel, also delivered one-hour presentations.
The closer the Fields Medal announcement gets, the more rumors circulate.
It's not just Faltings making predictions; even media reporters are getting into it.
Blund, Ayoub, Shen Qi, Schultz – this quartet is the most frequently predicted to win this year's Fields Medal.
Of course, there are other combinations as well.
Regardless of the prediction combination, the names of Blund, Ayoub, Shen Qi, and Schultz appear very frequently.
Taking into account age distribution, school of thought, academic field, and academic achievements, the combination of four people is the most reasonable.
Faltings did not give up hope.
If an upset occurs, Faltings could replace either Blund or Schultz.
In terms of nationality, Faltings is Italy, while Blund and Schultz are both German.
Faltings could also replace Shen Qi. Both of them represent Princeton, and regardless of who wins the Fields Medal, Princeton will benefit.
Williamson and Sofia Morell are also considered strong contenders.
Williamson published a research report on 498-dimensional mathematical structures two months ago, and Sofia Morrel is the only female mathematician among them.
Opinions were divided for a time.
IMU is extremely secretive and keeps its secrets tightly under wraps.
Finally, the 8-day academic conference came to an end.
The International Congress of Mathematicians has entered its final and most important day: the awards ceremony.
Before heading to the awards ceremony, Ou Ye asked Shen Qi, "Are you nervous?"
"No, I'm not nervous at all," Shen Qi said, shaking his head.
"You said you weren't nervous, but you've buttoned your shirt all wrong." Ou Ye helped Shen Qi unbutton his shirt and button it up properly in the hotel room.
"Hehe, my hand slipped a little, I'm really not nervous." Shen Qi appeared calm as a rock, but in reality, he was somewhat uncertain and uneasy.
The outcome of the lottery depends half on the player's own ability and half on the decision of the IMU judges.
Having arrived in Brazil in high spirits, Shen Qi was unwilling to leave empty-handed.
The awards ceremony was the focus of everyone's attention.
To this day, apart from a few high-ranking officials at IMU and members of the judging panel, no one knows who will win this year's Fields Medal.
The lottery results were announced at 8 PM.
The IMU president will announce the names of this year's Fields Medal winners.
Shen Qi sat in the audience, with Ou Ye on his left and Faltings on his right.
"Believe in yourself," Ou Ye said.
"Qi, you're still ranked third, no need to worry." Faltings seemed more confident than Shen Qi.
"I'm not worried," Shen Qi thought to himself. Whether Professor Faltings and I can still have a pleasant coffee together in the future depends on the lottery results.
"First of all, I would like to thank the 189 young mathematicians who participated in this International Congress of Mathematicians. Your presentations over the past eight days have been excellent." The IMU president began his speech, and the room fell silent.
"Thank you to all the guests, as well as friends from the media and academic publishing communities."
"I'm not the main character tonight, so I'll get straight to the point. I'm going to announce the names of this year's Fields Medal winners; they are the real stars."
The IMU president opened the envelope, took out the card, and solemnly announced, "After an extremely rigorous and fair selection process, the first recipient of this year's Fields Medal is... Simon Blund! Thank you, Mr. Blund, for your outstanding contributions to Differential Geometry and Partial Differential Equations!"
The lottery results are in!
The first winner was German mathematician Simon Blund, just as Faltings had predicted. Blund's position was very secure, and he took the lead.
The previously calm and composed Blund was now extremely excited. He had won the Fields Medal at the age of 39; how could he not be excited?
When he gave his acceptance speech, Blund cried, cried like a child.
"Blund taking the first Fields Medal spot is no surprise." Shen Qi turned to look at Faltings. "Your prediction was spot on, you're amazing! I'm impressed."
Faltings smiled faintly, as if everything was under control.
"The second winner is..." the IMU president drawled, adding to the air of mystery.
Shen Qi remained calm. According to Professor Faltings' prediction, the second laureate should be the French mathematician Ayoub. The IMU president announced the answer, "The second laureate is Joseph Ayoub! Thank you, Mr. Ayoub, for your unparalleled achievements in Algebraic Geometry. We look forward to the day when the 'Ayoub's Identity' is fully proven! I believe that day will completely change mathematics! Please welcome Mr. Ayoub to receive the Fields Medal."
Sure enough, the second winner of the Fields Medal is Ayoub.
Faltings smiled faintly, like a prophet who knew everything.
Shen Qi adjusted his tie knot, holding his breath.
The name of the third winner will be announced soon.
According to predictions from former Fields Medal winner Professor Faltings, Shen Qi is ranked third.