India tops International Physics Olympiad 2026; all 5 students win gold

2 min readNew DelhiJul 13, 2026 12:18 PM IST

Five Indian students won gold at the 56 International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) 2026 in Bucaramanga, Colombia (Image via HBCSE)

India secured a joint first rank at the 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) 2026 after all five members of its team won gold medals at the competition held in Bucaramanga, Colombia. The country shared the top position with China, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea, and Taiwan among 381 students from 87 participating countries, according to the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE).

According to the HBCSE, part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), this was India’s 27th participation in the International Physics Olympiad. Over the last 10 years, every Indian participant at the competition has returned with either a gold or a silver medal.

The Indian students who won gold medals are:

Student

City

State

Kanishk Jain

Pune

Maharashtra

Riddhesh Anant Bendale

Indore

Madhya Pradesh

Rishit Garg

Dwarka

New Delhi

Shresth Suraiya

Mumbai

Maharashtra

Svarit Joshi

Ahmedabad

Gujarat

The Indian contingent was led by Prof Anwesh Mazumdar of Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE-TIFR) and Dr Leena Joshi of St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. The scientific observers were Prof Ananda Dasgupta of IISER Kolkata and Ms. Nisha Kelkar of Gogate-Joglekar College.

The team underwent training through the Physics Olympiad Cell at HBCSE before representing India at the international event. The programme included orientation and pre-departure camps conducted by mentors and faculty associated with the Olympiad training process.

The International Physics Olympiad is one of the world’s leading competitions for secondary school students. It brings together top-performing students from across the globe to compete in theoretical and experimental physics. India’s latest performance extends its consistent record at the competition and places it among the top-performing nations in this year’s edition.