India topped the medals tally at the 34th International Biology Olympiad (IBO) 2023 held in Al Ain, UAE from 3 July to 11 July 2023, by virtue of every student winning a gold medal! This is the first time that India has turned in an all-gold performance and topped the medals tally in IBO.

The students this year were:

Dhruv Advani (GOLD) from Bengaluru, Karnataka

Ishan Pednekar (GOLD) from Kota, Rajasthan

Megh Chhabda (GOLD) from Jalna, Maharashtra

Rohit Panda (GOLD) from Risali, Chattisgarh

The team was accompanied by two leaders: Prof. Madan M. Chaturvedi (Former Senior Professor, Delhi University) and Dr Anupama Ronad (HBCSE, TIFR), and two Scientific Observers: Dr V. V. Binoy (National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru) and Dr Rambhadur Subedi (NIRRH, Mumbai).

There were 293 students from 76 countries in this year’s IBO. Singapore was the only other country to secure four gold medals. In all 29 gold medals were awarded. 

Earlier, India has topped the medals tally in Astronomy & Astrophysics (in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015 and 2021), Physics (in 2018) and Junior Science (in 2014, 2019, 2021, and 2022).