The United States Physics Team made history at the 2025 International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) in Paris. For the first time, the team won all five gold medals. Among the winners is 17-year-old Indian-origin student Agastya Goel.
Agastya, along with teammates Allen Li, Joshua Wang, Feodor Yevtushenko, and Brian Zhang, delivered the best performance in US history. Competing under the theme “Physics Beyond Frontiers,” the American team outperformed students from 85 countries.
Days after the victory, the gold medalists were honoured at the White House. President Donald Trump personally congratulated them. Senior aide Michael Kratsios shared a photo on X, writing, “Today POTUS & WHOSTP47 were proud to welcome the 2025 World Champion USA Physics Team to the White House! These incredible geniuses DOMINATED at the International Physics Olympiad in July, bringing home a record FIVE gold medals, the greatest performance in team history.”
Today @POTUS & @WHOSTP47 were proud to welcome the 2025 World Champion USA Physics Team to the @WhiteHouse!
These incredible geniuses DOMINATED at the International Physics Olympiad in July, bringing home a record FIVE gold medals — the greatest performance in team history. 🇺🇸💪 pic.twitter.com/ZmsNRHcz95
— Director Michael Kratsios (@mkratsios47) September 22, 2025
Who Is Agastya Goel?
Agastya Goel is a junior at Henry M Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California. He is already known as one of the brightest young minds in science. He is a two-time gold medalist at the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI). In 2024, he ranked fourth in the world with a score of 438.97 out of 600.
Agastya comes from a family of achievers. Ashish Goel, his father, was one of India’s top scorers in the IIT-JEE exam in 1990. Originally from Uttar Pradesh, Ashish studied computer science at IIT Kanpur and earned a PhD from Stanford University, and now works as a professor in Management Science and Engineering and played an important role at Twitter (now X) in its early years.
Agastya’s Journey in Science
Agastya’s interest in science began at home when he was inspired by hikes and car rides with his father. Initially focused on computer science, he shifted to physics in 2023 after exploring Kevin Zhou’s handouts. During a family trip to India, he even studied physics in front of the Taj Mahal.
Besides academics, Agastya enjoys tennis, hiking, music, and stargazing. He plays guitar and piano, sings in the school choir, and participates in the varsity tennis team. He is also part of the Gunn Competitive Programming Club and the Board Game Club.
Agastya has a long list of achievements. He was a finalist in the USA Computing Olympiad (USACO) for three years (2022–2024). He won silver at the 2023 USA Physics Olympiad and participated in the elite Mathematical Olympiad Program. Between 2021 and 2024, he worked as a part-time researcher at Euler Circle, co-authoring a mathematics paper published in The Australasian Journal of Combinatorics.
A Bright Future Ahead
Agastya’s accomplishments have brought him global recognition. His success has also contributed to the US Physics Team’s record-breaking performance at IPhO 2025. With his talent, dedication, and passion for science, Agastya Goel is expected to make a lasting impact on the world of physics.
