India's Gold Medalists
Each country may send at most five students to the IPhO. India's five all won gold.
Gold Medal
Kanishk Jain
Pune
Also won gold at IPhO 2025 in Paris
Gold Medal
Riddhesh Anant Bendale
Indore
Also won gold at IPhO 2025 in Paris
Gold Medal
Rishit Garg
New Delhi
Gold Medal
Shresth Suraiya
Mumbai
Gold Medal
Svarit Joshi
Ahmedabad
What Is the International Physics Olympiad?
The International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) is the world's leading physics competition for school students. It was first held in Warsaw, Poland, in 1967 and now takes place every year in a different host country.
Contestants sit two gruelling exams, one theoretical and one experimental, each lasting about five hours. Medals go to individuals, not teams. In 2026, only 51 of the 381 contestants earned gold.
What "Joint World No. 1" Means
The IPhO has no official team ranking, but countries are commonly compared by the medals their students win. Five gold medals is the best result any country can achieve.
In 2026, six countries reached that perfect result: China, India, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea and Taiwan. That places India joint first in the world.
India's only previous clean sweep of five gold medals was at IPhO 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal. 2026 is the second time.
The Road to Bucaramanga
India's team is chosen through the National Olympiad Programme, a multi-stage process that begins with tens of thousands of school students.
- 1 NSEP: national qualifying exam
- 2 INPhO: Indian National Physics Olympiad
- 3 Selection camp at HBCSE
- 4 Pre-departure training
- 5 IPhO
The programme is run by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), a National Centre of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai. Selected students go through months of preparation, including advanced lectures, laboratory work and regular practice.
The 2026 team was led by Professor Anwesh Mazumdar (HBCSE-TIFR) with co-leader Dr. Leena Joshi. Professor Ananda Dasgupta (IISER Kolkata) and Ms. Nisha Kelkar travelled as scientific observers.
More Than Five Medals
These aren't just five gold medals.
They represent the talent, hard work and scientific potential of India's next generation.
This is the India the world should know about.
Why This Story Belongs on Wisdom of India
Wisdom of India usually explains old ideas like Karma, Dharma and Yoga. We are marking this result because it is part of the same story: a long Indian tradition of asking how the world works, from the mathematicians and astronomers of the classical period to five students solving physics problems in Colombia.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did India perform at IPhO 2026?
All five members of Team India won gold medals at the 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO 2026). India finished joint first in the medal table, alongside China, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea and Taiwan.
Who won gold for India at IPhO 2026?
Kanishk Jain (Pune), Riddhesh Anant Bendale (Indore), Rishit Garg (New Delhi), Shresth Suraiya (Mumbai) and Svarit Joshi (Ahmedabad).
Where and when was IPhO 2026 held?
IPhO 2026 was held in Bucaramanga, Colombia, from 4 to 12 July 2026. 381 students from 87 countries took part.
How is India's IPhO team selected?
Through the National Olympiad Programme: the National Standard Examination in Physics (NSEP), the Indian National Physics Olympiad (INPhO), a selection camp at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE-TIFR) in Mumbai, and pre-departure training.
Sources
Figures on this page come from the official announcements below. Where sources differ slightly, we follow the Government of India's press release.
- Press Information Bureau, Government of India — Official press release on Team India's result at IPhO 2026.
- IPhO 2026, Bucaramanga — Official website of the 56th International Physics Olympiad.
- IPhO results archive — Country and individual results for IPhO 2026 and past years.