India achieved its best-ever International Earth Science Olympiad performance, winning nine medals, including four gold, three silver and two bronze.

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• India won nine medals at the 19th International Earth Science Olympiad 2026 in Turin, Italy, marking its best-ever performance.
• The four-member Indian team secured four gold, three silver and two bronze medals across individual and team-based Earth science competitions.
• The International Earth Science Olympiad tests secondary school students through written examinations, practical assessments, field investigations and project-based scientific tasks.
• Indian participants compete across disciplines including geology, meteorology, oceanography and astronomy, covering diverse aspects of Earth system science.
• Soumik Mandal won gold in individual written and practical examinations and achieved the third-highest individual score in IESO’s 19-year history.
• Riddhi Ranjan and Soumik Mandal won gold in the International Team Field Investigation, demonstrating strong collaborative field-based scientific problem-solving skills.
• Aaron Maiti secured gold in the Earth Science Project, adding another top honour to India’s record medal-winning campaign at the Olympiad.
• The Indian students were selected from approximately 17,000 national applicants and underwent specialised training camps at institutions in Vadodara and Chennai.
• The 2026 Olympiad was held from August 20 to 27 in Turin, bringing together students for international Earth science competition.
• The competition examines understanding of the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere through theoretical, practical and field-based assessments.
• The medal-winning students were felicitated at Prithvi Bhawan in New Delhi on September 4 following their outstanding international achievement.
• The achievement highlights India’s growing strength in Earth science education, scientific training and international student competitions across multiple Earth system disciplines.