Pavel started his math journey in fifth grade, when his teacher invited him to a contest and trained him for a few years. The pandemic pushed him to online learning, but he kept going until he reached one special problem that earned him IMO Gold. In his free time, he’s in the stands or on the football pitch. Starting at Cambridge this September, he looks forward to meeting new people, learning new topics like topology, and experiencing university life.

We caught up before he started university (interview edited for length and clarity):