After winning 14 times in 20 years, second-place finish to the United States stings contest's fans

China's defeat at this year's International Mathematical Olympiad in Thailand has prompted an outpouring of negative comments and second-guessing by the country's netizens.

Overzealous fans are being urged to view the annual mathematical Olympiad as well as this year's results in a more rational manner. "It's common to win some contests and lose others. There's no need to make a fuss," said Zhu Xu, a math professor at Xi'an Jiaotong University.