I think OP is merely suggesting that the tutelage of a Fields medalist had more to do with the subsequent Fields medal than did the poetry. I didn't read the comment as diminishing the accomplishments or suggesting anyone could do the same if they just had the right tutor. It was clarifying the title that misleadingly implies a causal relationship between poetry and math, or that he somehow stopped studying yet succeeded anyway.

Well it was a poet and just decided to take introduction algebraic structures with a fields metal winner?

There's a lot of liberties taken by the pseudo biographical articles, especially when they're dealing with the gee whiz genius trope in American media which is really annoying.

It's really just anti-intellectualisn cloaked to something else.