Kazakhstan wins five medals at IPhO

Kazakhstan’s national team has achieved a historic milestone by winning all five possible gold medalsat the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) for the first time in the country’s history, El.kz reports citing the Kazakh Enlightenment Ministry.

Unprecedented achievement for Kazakhstan

The International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) is widely recognized as one of the world’s most challenging academic competitions for secondary school students. This year’s edition was hosted by Colombia, bringing together the world’s most talented young physicists.

A total of 381 students participated in the competition. Contestants were required to solve both theoretical and experimental problems, demanding not only a strong command of physics but also advanced analytical thinking, logical reasoning and the ability to develop solutions under complex and unfamiliar conditions.

For Kazakhstan, the 2026 results represent a historic achievement. For the first time, every member of the national team was awarded a gold medal, marking a flawless performance.

Students who secured gold for Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan was represented by students from Astana and Almaty, selected through a multi-stage qualification process followed by extensive training.

Student of school-lyceum "NURORDA" Nurgul Yegenbergenova, a grade 11 student of the Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Physics and Mathematics in Astana Amirbek Azatbekov, student of Nazarbayev Intellectual School (NIS) of Physics and Mathematics in Astana Damir Kurman, student of Spectrum International School, Roman Cheremnov and a Grade 11 student of Miras International School Ilyas Kazymbek received the gold medals.

Each member of the team received a gold medal. This accomplishment is particularly significant given the highly competitive field, which included participants from many of the world’s leading education systems.

Years of preparation behind the victory

According to the Ministry of Education, the national team worked towards this achievement over a period of three years.

The students were supported throughout the process by school teachers, mentors and national coaches during the selection stages and intensive training camps.

The team’s academic preparation was led by, a lecturer at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University Guliya Nurbakova. During the Olympiad, the delegation was coordinated by Samat Maksutov, a lecturer at SDU University, and Alisher Yerkebayev, an international physics Olympiad medalist.

Kazakhstan’s performance in IPhO

Established in 1967, the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) is regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious and academically demanding competitions for secondary school students.

Kazakhstan joined the Olympiad in 1997. Since then, the country’s performance has improved steadily through the systematic development of gifted students rather than isolated successes.

The 2026 result therefore represents a landmark achievement. Securing a complete set of gold medals demonstrates that Kazakhstan’s system for identifying and developing talented young physicists has reached a level of excellence where consistent high performance has become the defining standard.