Kazakhstani school students make history at global Olympiad

This year, 381 school students from 85 countries took part in one of the world’s most prestigious intellectual competitions. Participants had to solve complex theoretical and experimental problems requiring deep knowledge, analytical thinking and practical training.

All five representatives of Kazakhstan won gold medals — a result the national team had never achieved before.

Who brought Kazakhstan the historic victory

Gold medals were won by:

Nurgul Yegenbergenova — 11th-grade student at NURORDA School-Lyceum in Astana;
Amirbek Azatbekov — 12th-grade student at NIS of Physics and Mathematics in Astana;
Iliyas Kazymbek — 12th-grade student at Spectrum International School in Astana;
Roman Cheremnov — 12th-grade student at Miras International School in Almaty;
Damir Kurman — 11th-grade student at NIS of Physics and Mathematics in Astana.

The Ministry of Education said preparation of the national team took three years. School teachers, mentors and national coaches worked with the team. The preparation was led by Guliya Nurbakova, PhD, senior lecturer at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. During the Olympiad, the team’s work was coordinated by Samat Maxutov, PhD, senior lecturer at SDU, and Alisher Yerkebayev, a prizewinner of international physics Olympiads.

The International Physics Olympiad has been held since 1967 and is considered one of the world’s most prestigious competitions for school students. Kazakhstan has participated in the IPhO since 1997. In 2025, the national team won two silver and three bronze medals.