Five Indian students have won gold medals at the 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) 2026, held in Bucaramanga, Colombia, from the 4th to the 12th of this month.
The gold medal winners are Kanishk Jain from Pune, Riddhesh Anant Bendale from Indore, Rishit Garg from New Delhi, Shresth Suraiya from Mumbai and Svarit Joshi from Ahmedabad.
With this achievement, India secured the joint first position, along with Russia, China, Kazakhstan, South Korea and Taiwan, among 381 students from 87 countries.
The outstanding performance reflects the strength of India’s Olympiad programme, spearheaded by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), a National Centre of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated the Indian contingent for winning five gold medals at the 56th International Physics Olympiad 2026. In a social media post, PM Modi said the achievement is yet another example of the limitless potential of the nation’s Yuva Shakti and their passion for science and research. The Prime Minister also said it is equally commendable that Indian students have consistently performed exceptionally well in various editions of the Olympiad over the past decade.
Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, Dr Ajit Kumar Mohanty, also congratulated the medal winners and described their outstanding achievement as a matter of immense pride for the nation.
