India tops medal tally with first-ever all-gold haul at International Chemistry Olympiad 2026

New Delhi: India achieved its best-ever performance at the 58th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) 2026, with all four members of Team India winning gold medals at the global competition held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from July 10 to 19. The achievement placed India jointly at the top of the country-wise medal tally alongside China, Vietnam and the Individual Participants Group B (Russia).

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The four gold medal winners are Debadatta Priyadarshi from Bhubaneswar, Odisha; Harshit Singla from Mandi Gobindgarh, Punjab; Kabeer Chillar from Delhi; and Sandeep Kuchi from Hyderabad, Telangana. The 2026 edition of the Olympiad witnessed participation from 363 students representing 93 countries, making it the largest IChO held to date.

The Indian delegation was led by Prof. Subhajit Bandyopadhyay as Head Mentor, with Dr. Indrani Sen serving as Mentor, while Dr. Anubendu Adhikary and Dr. Jayasree Gopalakrishnan participated as Scientific Observers.

The competition comprised theoretical and experimental examinations covering advanced topics in chemistry, including reaction kinetics, carbon allotropes, catalytic nitrogen fixation, carbon dioxide reduction, molecular structures, chemical synthesis, qualitative analysis and analytical chemistry.

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This marked India's 27th appearance at the International Chemistry Olympiad. According to the organisers, Indian participants have secured gold medals in 32 percent of all appearances, while the last ten editions have seen 43 percent gold and 53 percent silver medals. The Chemistry Olympiad Cell of Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), along with its resource pool of teachers and mentors, was credited for preparing the team through orientation and pre-departure camps.

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