India Achieves Historic Four Gold Medals at International Chemistry Olympiad 2026; JEE Advanced AIR 2 Among Winners
India delivered its finest-ever performance at the 58th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) 2026, securing four gold medals and finishing joint first in the overall standings alongside China, Vietnam, and an individual participant from Russia. The prestigious global competition was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from July 10 to 19, bringing together 363 students from 93 countries. According to the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), this marks India’s best result in its 27 appearances at the International Chemistry Olympiad. The four Indian students who earned gold medals are Debadatta Priyadarshi from Bhubaneswar, Odisha; Harshit Singhal from Mandi Gobindgarh, Punjab; Kabeer Chhillar from Delhi; and Sandeep Kuchi from Hyderabad, Telangana. Among the standout performers, Kabeer Chhillar had already gained national recognition by securing All India Rank (AIR) 2 in JEE Advanced 2026, scoring 329 out of 360, just one mark behind the topper. He had also achieved a perfect 100 percentile in JEE Main 2026, highlighting his exceptional academic accomplishments before representing India at the global chemistry competition. India’s remarkable success at the Chemistry Olympiad follows another stellar international achievement earlier this month, when the country’s team won five gold medals at the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) 2026, reinforcing India’s growing prominence in global science competitions. The Indian Chemistry team was guided by Head Mentor Prof. Subhajit Bandyopadhyay of IISER Kolkata and Mentor Dr. Indrani Das Sen of HBCSE. The delegation also included Scientific Observers Dr. Anubendu Adhikary from IIT Kharagpur and Dr. Jayasree Gopalakrishnan of NES Ratnam College, Mumbai. HBCSE credited the National Steering Committee on Science Olympiads, teacher organizations, and several subject experts for their contributions to the Olympiad programme. The institute also noted that the national science Olympiad initiative receives financial support from the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST). Source: Indian Express
