This Delhi teen helped team India strike gold at International Physics Olympiad

Delhi’s Rishit Garg was among India’s five gold medallists at the 56th International Physics Olympiad, helping the country secure a joint World No. 1 ranking.

India delivered a historic performance at the 56th International Physics Olympiad in Bucaramanga, Colombia, with all five members of its team winning gold medals, a perfect sweep that helped the country secure a joint World No.1 rank out of 381 students from 87 countries. Among the five gold medallists is Delhi’s Rishit Garg, a name the city can now claim as part of one of India’s most successful science Olympiad campaigns in recent memory.

The 17-year-old, Rishit, poses with the Indian flag and his gold medal.

“People around the world know that Indians excel in academics, and this was an opportunity to prove that it's true. There's never a feeling that Indians are any less capable academically, especially in Western countries. In fact, people there generally believe that Indians are among the best when it comes to academics.” says Rishit

For the 17-year-old, the win carries a meaning bigger than the medal itself. He credits months of relentless preparation for the result. “I've been passionate about physics from the very beginning. Over the past one or two years, I've been deeply involved in physics Olympiads, solving and thinking through questions from different competitions. When you consistently immerse yourself in physics, your thinking naturally starts aligning with it. I've spent a lot of time preparing for the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO), going through past-year papers and trying to understand the concepts behind them. That process has helped me build a strong foundation in physics. So, when I walked into the exam, I already had a clear sense of my understanding across different topics and knew where I stood."

To see the Prime Minister of the country, Narendra Modi, tweet praising the accomplishment brings a feeling of pride for Rishit, "It feels amazing. It just goes to show how significant the International Physics Olympiad is for India beyond regular academics. Finishing first wasn't just a national achievement—we stood joint first in the world, and that's a huge accomplishment. It feels really great to have been part of it."