Five gold medals in Physics Olympiad ‘shows Yuva Shakti’s limitless potential’: PM Narendra Modi

4 min readBengaluruJul 14, 2026 05:55 AM IST

Winners Kanishk Jain (Pune), Shresth Suraiya (Mumbai), Riddhesh Bendale (Indore), Rishit Garg (New Delhi), Svarit Joshi (Ahmedabad) at the International Physics Olympiad in Colombia. (Image via HBCSE)

With five students individually bagging gold medals at the International Physics Olympiad in Colombia last week, India jointly secured the top spot in what is considered as one the world’s toughest competitions.

Kanishk Jain (Pune), Shresth Suraiya (Mumbai), Riddhesh Bendale (Indore), Rishit Garg (New Delhi) and Svarit Joshi (Ahmedabad) competed against more than 300 students from 86 other countries studying in Class 8 to 12. As a team, India was tied at the No. 1 rank with China, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea and Taiwan.

The competition has both theory and practical components and tests the students on their problem-solving skills.

This is only the second time after 2018 when all five Indian students returned with gold medals since India started participating in the Physics Olympiad in 1998. Bhaskar Gupta, Lay Jain, Nishant Abhangi, Pawan Goyal and Siddharth Tiwari were the gold medallists last time.

Congratulating the students, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “An outstanding performance by our youngsters! Congratulations to the Indian contingent of Kanishk Jain, Riddhesh Anant Bendale, Rishit Garg, Shresth Suraiya and Svarit Joshi for winning Gold Medals at the 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) 2026 held in Bucaramanga, Colombia. Their feat reflects yet another example of the limitless potential of our Yuva Shakti and their passion towards science and research. Equally commendable is the fact that in the last decade, our students have performed exceptionally well in the various editions of this platform.”

Even at similar Olympiads, India boasts a stellar record. Since 1998, 482 Indian students have participated in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Astronomy Olympiads and 176 of them have returned with gold medals. Only five of them failed to win any medal.

The students undergo an elaborate preparation phase conducted by Mumbai-based Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE)-TIFR, under the Department of Atomic Energy.

Story continues below this ad

Lauding their students’ efforts, Ajit Kumar Mohanty, DAE Secretary, said, “This phenomenal achievement by our young physicists is a matter of immense pride for the nation. Securing five gold medals and jointly attaining the world no. 1 rank at the International Physics Olympiad is a testament to the talent, dedication and scientific temperament of our students, as well as the unwavering commitment of the HBCSE-TIFR Olympiad programme. I congratulate the students, their parents, teachers, and mentors for this remarkable accomplishment. Their success inspires countless young minds to pursue excellence in science and reinforces India’s growing leadership in scientific education and innovation.”

According to senior officials involved in the training at HBCSE, a total of 66,514 students appeared for the entry levels exam (theory topics) held in November 2025 by the Indian Association of Physics Teachers.

After two more rounds of screenings through exams, 26 students were shortlisted for a two-week Physics Olympiad camp organised in April-May this year at HBCSE, where they are trained in experimental problems, in addition to advanced theory topics. The final team of five students were announced at the end of this camp.

This year, the team was mentored by Anwesh Mazumdar of HBCSE, Leena Joshi of St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, along with scientific observers Ananda Dasgupta of IISER-Kolkata and Nisha Kelkar of Gogate-Jogalekar College in Ratnagiri.

Story continues below this ad

Before the team departed for the Physics Olympiad to Colombia, they went through a 12-day training, during which they were given an Olympiad-level environment and timed problem solving tasks. This year was the 27th participation at the International Physics Olympiad and the past decade has seen India showcase its best performance with every participating student bagging either a gold or a silver medal, HBCSE said.

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd