India delivered a golden sweep at the 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) 2026, held at Bucaramanga, Colombia, with all five members of the Indian team winning Gold Medals. With this performance, India secured the World No. 1 rank, jointly with China, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea and Taiwan, among 381 students from 87 countries.
The five Indian gold medallists are Kanishk Jain (Pune, Maharashtra), Riddhesh Anant Bendale (Indore, Madhya Pradesh), Rishit Garg (Dwarka, New Delhi), Shresth Suraiya (Mumbai, Maharashtra) and Svarit Joshi (Ahmedabad, Gujarat). The result extends India's legacy at the IPhO: every Indian participant over the last decade has secured a podium finish.
India's Olympiad programme is spearheaded by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), a National Centre of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), an aided institution under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). As the nodal centre for the Olympiad programme in India, HBCSE serves as the country's link to the international Olympiad community, and identifies, nurtures and mentors exceptional talent in science and mathematics among pre-university students through a rigorous multi-stage selection process, orientation camps and intensive training programmes.
Dr. Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Secretary, DAE and Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, congratulated the medal winners, calling the achievement a testament to the talent, dedication and scientific temperament of the students as well as the commitment of the HBCSE-TIFR Olympiad programme. The DAE also congratulated the team leaders, Prof. Anwesh Mazumdar (HBCSE-TIFR) and Dr. Leena Joshi (St. Xavier's College, Mumbai), and the scientific observers, Prof. Ananda Dasgupta (IISER, Kolkata) and Ms. Nisha Kelkar (Gogate-Joglekar College, Ratnagiri).
Prof. Arnab Bhattacharya, Centre Director, HBCSE, noted that Team India's now-routine achievements in the Science and Mathematical Olympiads are the result of patient growth and mentoring over decades, sustained by the Department of Atomic Energy's long-standing support.