Ask an Indian teenager to name Virat Kohli, Neeraj Chopra or PV Sindhu, and the answer comes instantly. But ask the same student about Kanishk Jain, Riddhesh Anant Bendale, Rishit Garg, Shresth Suraiya or Svarit Joshi, and chances are you’ll be met with silence.Yet these five students have achieved something that deserves to be celebrated across the country.Representing India at the 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) 2026 in Bucaramanga, Colombia, all five returned home with gold medals, helping India finish joint World No. 1 alongside science powerhouses such as China, Russia, Kazakhstan, South Korea and Taiwan. It is only the second time India has achieved a clean sweep of five gold medals at the prestigious competition.Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated the young physicists on X, calling their performance “outstanding.” Congratulating Kanishk Jain, Riddhesh Anant Bendale, Rishit Garg, Shresth Suraiya and Svarit Joshi, he said their feat reflected “yet another example of the limitless potential of our Yuva Shakti and their passion towards science and research.” He also noted that Indian students have consistently performed exceptionally well at the International Physics Olympiad over the past decade, describing the achievement as a testament to the country’s growing scientific talent.
“This isn’t another competitive exam”
Reacting to India’s remarkable performance, product leader and former JEE Physics teacher Malay Krishna explained why this achievement is so different from the examinations most Indian students are familiar with.“I taught JEE Physics for years. That paper breaks strong kids in three hours,” he wrote on X.“But this exam is five hours of theory and five hours of lab work, and these five did close to perfect scores on it.”His post has resonated with thousands because it explains what makes the International Physics Olympiad one of the toughest academic competitions in the world.Unlike entrance examinations that often test speed and familiarity with question patterns, the Olympiad demands original thinking. Students spend five hours solving advanced theoretical physics problems before moving into another five-hour experimental examination where they are expected to design experiments, analyse data, estimate errors and arrive at scientific conclusions using unfamiliar laboratory equipment.As Malay Krishna put it, “You either understand physics or you sit there for five hours.”
The five students who made history
This year’s Indian team comprised:• Kanishk Jain from Pune • Riddhesh Anant Bendale from Indore • Rishit Garg from Dwarka, Delhi• Shresth Suraiya from Mumbai • Svarit Joshi from AhmedabadCompeting against 381 students from more than 85 countries, every member of the Indian contingent won a gold medal.According to the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), the achievement reflects the strength of India’s Olympiad programme, which is coordinated by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), a National Centre of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).The programme identifies talented students through multiple stages of national-level examinations before putting them through rigorous training camps that eventually produce India’s final five-member team.
Behind every medal is years of scientific thinking
Malay Krishna also highlighted something that often goes unnoticed in discussions around competitive examinations.He pointed out that while coaching institutes have become exceptionally good at preparing students for known question patterns, Olympiad competitions demand an entirely different skill — thinking through problems that students have never encountered before.“There is no shortcut chapter. There is no formula sheet that saves you,” he wrote.That ability, he argued, has been nurtured quietly for decades through India’s publicly funded Olympiad ecosystem.India’s consistency supports that claim. This was the country’s 27th appearance at the International Physics Olympiad. Over the past decade, every Indian participant has returned with a medal, with a majority winning gold.The success, however, also raises a larger question about nurturing scientific talent. Malay Krishna noted that while a significant proportion of India’s Olympiad medallists go on to pursue doctoral research, many eventually build their careers abroad.“They earned every option they have,” he wrote, while adding that India has become exceptionally good at identifying and training scientific talent. The next challenge, he suggested, is creating opportunities that encourage more of them to continue their work within the country.For now, though, the spotlight belongs to five young physicists who have quietly achieved something extraordinary.Their names may not yet be household names, but their achievement has placed India alongside the world’s best in one of the toughest science competitions on the planet. And perhaps that is reason enough for every student—and every parent—to remember them.Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly available information, official announcements and statements shared on LinkedIn by the individual concerned. Quotes have been reproduced from his publicly available post for contextual purposes.
