India recorded a strong performance at the 19th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) 2026 in Hanoi, Vietnam, with all five participating students winning medals. The Indian contingent secured four Gold medals and one Silver at the competition, held from September 25 to October 5.
The winners were –
- Pranjal Dixit – Gold
- Sumant Gupta – Gold
- Akshat Srivastava – Gold
- Arnav Sehrawat – Gold
- Harshil Amitkumar Patel – Silver
India finished joint third in the medals tally with Vietnam’s guest team, behind Iran and South Korea, which won five Gold medals each.
The Indian team was led by Prof. Bhaswati Mookerjea of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, and Prof. Sanved Kolekar of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru. Prof. Abdul Rahoof K. A. of Sullamussalam Science College, Kerala, and Adarsh Reddy Madur of Virtu Financial, Singapore, joined as Scientific Observers. Prof. Aniket Sule of the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), TIFR, attended as the current IOAA President.
The 2026 edition was the largest IOAA so far, with 307 students from 64 countries. Since India began participating in Astronomy Olympiads in 1999, 49% of its students have won Gold, 35% Silver and 13% Bronze. Over the past five years, all Indian participants have won either Gold (64%) or Silver (36%).
The result also marked a milestone for India across senior-level International Olympiads. For the first time since the country began participating in 1989, every Indian student across Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Astronomy won either Gold or Silver in the same year. This year, 16 Indian students won Gold and eight won Silver across these Olympiads.
The IOAA includes Theory (50%), Observation (25%) and Data Analysis (25%), along with a mixed-nation team competition.
The achievement highlights the exceptional talent and dedication of India’s young scientific community, with the students’ performance at IOAA 2026 adding another significant chapter to the country’s growing record of excellence in international science Olympiads.
(Source: PIB)