India wins five gold medals at 56th International Physics Olympiad 2026, securing world no. 1 rank

India's young Physicists achieved a remarkable performance during the 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) 2026, which took place in Bucaramanga, Colombia from 5th July to 12th July, where all the five team members received gold medals in the prestigious competition.

India emerged joint first in the overall tally with China, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea and Taiwan in the clean sweep. This year's Olympiad had a total of 381 students from 85 different countries participating.

The Indian team had Kanishk Jain from Pune, Maharashtra, Riddhesh Anant Bendale from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, Rishit Garg from Dwarka, New Delhi, Shresth Suraiya from Mumbai, Maharashtra and Svarit Joshi from Ahmedabad, Gujarat. All of them came back with gold medals, one of the best ever Indian performances at the competition.

A student from South Korea won the special prize and a student from Iran won the best experimental performance prize. There were 51 gold, 80 silver and 97 bronze medals awarded.

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India wins second time

With this success, India is now on its second occasion of winning five gold medals at the IPhO after 2018. The latest achievement is yet another milestone for the nation in the competition, as all the Indian participants in the last decade have secured gold and/or silver medals.

The accomplishment is a testament to the power of the Olympiad movement in India, which is organized by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), a National Centre of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) stated. The institute has a multi-stage selection process and conducts orientation camps and intensive training for the selected students before the International competition.

The high scientific accomplishments of our young scientists in winning five gold medals and grabbing the World No. 1 position at the International Physics Olympiad is a source of immense pride for the Nation, said Ajit Kumar Mohanty, secretary, DAE and chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, congratulating the team.

IPhO 2026 pattern

Over the Olympiad, the participants had to answer two extremely tough five-hour tests. The theoretical paper contained problems related to paramagnetic cooling, photoionization of ozone, caustics and cusps created by the reflection of light in a coffee cup and the dynamics of electron-positron pairs.

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The experimental round was devoted to thermodynamic processes in fluids and heat transfer. The organising committee said the Indian students gave a brilliant performance in both the theory and practical papers, with a few reaching near to the full marks in both papers.

India builds strong record

This year's performance is a new addition to India's list of triumphs at the IPhO. In all the 27 appearances of India in the competition, almost 44 per cent of the Indian participants have won gold medals, and another 41 per cent have won silver medals.

The organisers also expressed their gratitude to the National Steering Committee on Science Olympiads and the teacher organisations as well as the funding agencies of the Government of India for their ongoing support to the Science Olympiad programme.

The informal meet with the medal winners and mentors will be at V. G. K. Auditorium, Main building at 11:30 am on 14th July 2026.