India Wins 4 Gold, 1 Silver at International Astronomy Olympiad 2026
India performed strongly at IOAA 2026 in Hanoi, winning four gold and one silver medal, helping India finish joint third overall.
India concluded the International Science Olympiad with a strong win. The team won five medals, including four gold and one silver, at the IOAA 2026, held in Hanoi, Vietnam, from September 25 to October 5.
All Five Indian Students Win Medals
- Pranjal Dixit, Hyderabad- Gold medal
- Sumant Gupta, Delhi- Gold medal
- Akshat Srivastava, Gurugram- Gold medal
- Arnav Sehrawat, Faridabad- Gold medal
- Harshil Amitkumar Patel, Vadodara - Silver medal
India's five-member team at the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics 2026 in Vietnam. File Photo: Free Press Journal
India Among the Top Teams
India secured a joint third position in the overall medal tally with hosts Vietnam, after winning four gold medals. Iran and South Korea topped the standings with five gold medals each.
The 2026 edition was the largest International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) so far, with 307 students representing 64 countries.
Professor Bhaswati Mookerjea of TIFR, Mumbai, and Professor Sanved Kolekar of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru, accompanied the Indian team. Professor Aniket Sule of HBCSE-TIFR, who currently serves as IOAA president, was also present.
Opening ceremony of the 2026 International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics in Vietnam. Image Credit: Vietnam.vn
A Strong Year for India's Olympiad Teams
The astronomy results add to India’s strong performance at international science Olympiads this year.
According to the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), all 24 Indian students who participated in the International Olympiads in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Astronomy won either a gold or silver medal.
The students won a total of 16 gold and eight silver medals, giving India a clean sweep of gold and silver medals across all five subjects.