Indian team bags gold and silver medals at the International Chemistry Olympiad
This year's IChO, which was held from July 5, witnessed the participation of 354 students worldwide.
Among medal winners is Devesh Pankaj Bhaiya from Maharashtra's Jalgaon district who was in news recently for choosing Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) over Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) despite having an impressive All-India Rank 8 on Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) – Advanced, which determines admissions to IITs, prestigious technology institutions in the country which have global repute.
Apart from Devesh, Sandeep Kuchi from Hyderabad in Telangana bagged the gold medals for India.
The silver medals were awarded to Debadatta Priyadarshi from Bhubaneshwar in Odisha and Ujjwal Kesari from New Delhi. The team's achievement was celebrated on Tuesday at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) located in Mumbai, which has been the hub for science Olympiad training in India.
This year's IChO which was held between 5 to 14 of July, 2025, witnessed participation from 354 students worldwide. India's consistent presence at the Olympiad was marked by this being its 26th participation. Over the years, Indian students have achieved an impressive record with 30 per cent gold, 53 per cent silver, and 17 per cent bronze medals.
The team representing India was led by Professor Ankush Gupta of HBCSE, Mumbai, serving as Head Mentor, along with Professor Seema Gupta (Acharya Narendra Dev College, Delhi), and scientific observers Dr Neeraja Dashaputre (IISER Pune) and Dr Amrit Mitra (Govt. General Degree College, Singur, West Bengal).
The HBCSE-Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) continues to serve as the national hub for Olympiad training and selection across scientific disciplines. As per information shared by the HBCSE, the team's success is credited to intensive preparation at orientation and pre-departure camps organised by HBCSE, supported by dedicated mentors and educators.
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