India shares No. 1 spot as all 5 of its students win gold in physics olympiad

Mumbai: India made a clean sweep at the 56th International Physics Olympiad, with all five students in its contingent winning gold medals and placing the country jointly at the top of the medals table.The olympiad was held in Bucaramanga, Colombia, from July 5-12. The gold medallists are Shresth Suraiya from Mumbai, Kanishk Jain from Pune, Riddhesh Anant Bendale from Indore, Rishit Garg from Delhi, and Svarit Joshi from Ahmedabad.India shared the first position with China, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea and Taiwan. The competition drew 381 students from 85 countries. A total of 51 gold, 80 silver and 97 bronze medals were awarded.

The prize for the overall top performer went to a South Korean student, while an Iranian student was recognised for the best performance in experimental examination. This is only the second time after 2018 that all five members of the Indian team have returned with gold medals from the olympiad.“Shresth’s deep questioning, patience and composure distinguish him. His passion for physics will take him to greater heights,” said his mentor, Prof Vishal Singh of Narayana Co campus school.

The five-hour theoretical examination included problems on the thermodynamics of paramagnetic cooling, patterns known as caustics and cusps formed by light reflected inside a coffee cup, the photoionisation of ozone and the dynamics of electron-positron pairs. Several Indian students came close to securing perfect scores in the theory component.The five-hour experimental examination tested students on thermodynamic processes in fluids and heat transfer.

The Indian team performed strongly in both components of the competition.The Indian delegation was led by Prof Anwesh Mazumdar of Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, and Prof Leena Joshi of St Xavier’s College, Mumbai. Prof Ananda Dasgupta of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, and Nisha Kelkar of Gogate-Joglekar College, Ratnagiri, accompanied the team as scientific observers.The students underwent intensive training at HBCSE during orientation and pre-departure camps, supported by the physics olympiad cell and a pool of external teachers and mentors.This was India’s 27th appearance at the International Physics Olympiad. Over the years, around 44% of Indian participants have won gold medals, 41% silver and 10% bronze, while 5% have received honourable mentions. In the past decade, every Indian student participating in the competition has returned with either a gold or a silver medal.