THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

NEW DELHI, JULY 19, 2026

Bringing immense pride to Odisha and the nation, Bhubaneswar's Debadatta Priyadarshi emerged as one of the four Indian students who scripted history by winning a gold medal at the 58th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) 2026 held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from July 10 to 19. In a landmark achievement, all four members of the Indian team secured gold medals, helping India register its best-ever performance at the prestigious global competition.

Along with Debadatta Priyadarshi from Odisha, the other gold medallists are Harshit Singla from Mandi Gobindgarh, Punjab, Kabeer Chillar from Delhi and Sandeep Kuchi from Hyderabad, Telangana. With this unprecedented all-gold haul, India finished joint first in the country-wise medals tally alongside China, Vietnam and the Individual Participants Group B (from Russia). The 2026 edition was the largest in the history of the Olympiad, featuring 363 students from 93 countries.

The International Chemistry Olympiad comprised rigorous theoretical and experimental examinations designed to test participants' analytical skills, conceptual understanding and laboratory expertise. The theoretical examination challenged students with nine advanced problems covering topics such as plant extract chemistry, oscillatory reaction kinetics, covalent organic frameworks (COFs), uranium estimation linked to the historic Urtabulak gas fire operation, chiral cardiolipins, cyclocarbons, nitrogen fixation, catalytic reduction of atmospheric carbon dioxide and stereochemical transformations involving synthetic cyclodextrin analogues.

The experimental examination tested participants through three demanding laboratory assignments involving the synthesis and qualitative analysis of a metal complex, identification of 20 biochemical mixtures using enzyme-based microscale tests, and determination of acid mixtures and indicator compositions through pH-metric titrations.

The Indian delegation was guided by an experienced jury comprising Prof. Subhajit Bandyopadhyay as Head Mentor, Dr. Indrani Sen of HBCSE, Mumbai, as Mentor, and Dr. Anubendu Adhikary of IIT Kharagpur and Dr. Jayasree Gopalakrishnan of NES Ratnam College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Mumbai, as Scientific Observers. The Chemistry Olympiad Cell of Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), along with its resource pool of teachers and mentors, was lauded for preparing the team through intensive orientation and pre-departure camps.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Indian team on the historic feat, describing it as India's finest performance at the International Chemistry Olympiad. In a post on X, he said India's "Yuva Shakti continues to make a mark globally" and praised the brilliance, dedication and passion for science displayed by Debadatta Priyadarshi, Harshit Singla, Kabeer Chillar and Sandeep Kuchi. The Prime Minister said their remarkable achievement has made the entire nation proud and will inspire countless young minds to pursue chemistry and excel in scientific research.