India achieved a historic milestone at the 58th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) 2026, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan; all four members of the Indian team won gold medals. This marks the first time that all members of the Indian team have won gold medals at this prestigious international chemistry competition.
India jointly secured the top spot on the medal tally alongside China, Vietnam, and the Individual Participants Group B from Russia. Held from July 10 to 19, the 2026 edition was the largest IChO till date, featuring 363 students from 93 countries.
India’s Gold Medal Winners :
Kabeer Chillar (GOLD) from Delhi
Sandeep Kuchi (GOLD) from Hyderabad, Telangana
Harshit Singhal (GOLD) from Mandi Gobindgarh, Punjab
Debadatta Priyadarshi (GOLD) from Bhubaneshwar, Odisha
The Indian delegation included Prof. Subhajit Bandyopadhyay (Head Mentor), Dr. Indrani Sen (HBCSE, Mumbai) as Mentor, and Dr. Anubendu Adhikari (IIT Kharagpur) and Dr. Jayashree Gopalakrishnan (NES Ratnam College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Mumbai) as Scientific Observers. This competition included challenging theoretical and experimental rounds covering fields such as chemical kinetics, materials science, catalysis, biochemical analysis, and analytical chemistry.
The efforts of HBCSE’s Chemistry Olympiad Cell of HBCSE (Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education), along with the teachers, mentors, and experts involved in the orientation and pre-departure training camps, played a crucial role in this success. The Olympiad program has received continuous support from the National Steering Committee on Science Olympiads and government agencies such as the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), the Department of Science and Technology (DST), and the Ministry of Education (MoE).
