India wins first-ever gold medal at International Chemistry Olympiad 2026
India achieved its best-ever results at the 58th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) 2026 with all four members of the national team winning gold medals at the competition held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from July 10 to 19, 2026. This achievement marks the first time in the history of India’s participation in the International Chemistry Olympiad that it has won all gold medals.According to the Ministry of Education, India is joint first in the national medal table with China, Vietnam and Group B individual event (Russia). The 2026 Games are the largest yet, with 363 students from 93 countries.Four Indian student wins gold medal medalThe four students who won gold medals representing India were:
The Indian delegation included Principal Supervisor Prof. Subhajit Bandyopadhyay, Supervisor Dr. Indrani Sen of Homi Bhabha Center for Science Education (HBCSE), Dr. Anubendu Adhikary of IIT Kharagpur and Dr. Jayasree Gopalakrishnan of NES Ratnam College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Mumbai as scientific observers.The largest Olympic GamesThe 58th International Chemistry Olympiad features theoretical and experimental examinations designed to assess advanced understanding of chemistry.The theory exam consists of nine questions covering topics such as reaction kinetics, porous framework materials, nitrogen fixation, catalytic reduction of atmospheric carbon dioxide, cyclic carbons, stereochemistry and phosphates. Students also solved problems involving analytical chemistry, materials science, and industrial chemical processes.The experimental examination consists of three laboratory-based tasks, including synthesis and analysis of metal complexes, identification of biochemical mixtures using enzyme-based tests, and analysis of acidic mixtures by pH titration techniques.India’s performance over the yearsThis is India’s 27th participation in the International Chemistry Olympiad. According to official data, since India first participated, 32% of Indian participants have won gold medals, 51% silver medals and 17% bronze medals.In the last 10 times India has participated in the Olympics, the proportion of gold medals has increased to 43%, and silver medals accounted for 53% of the total medals during that period.The Ministry of Education also acknowledges the contribution of the HBCSE Chemistry Olympiad team, external mentors, National Science Olympiad Steering Committee, teachers’ organizations and the Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education for their financial support in preparing the Indian team.
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