New Delhi, July 22 -- When you think of someone who has won a gold medal at the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) 2026, topped JEE Mains with a perfect score of 300/300 securing AIR 1, and secured AIR 2 in JEE Advanced, you might imagine a serious, bookish geek whose life revolves around academics. But 17-year-old Kabir Chhillar is quick to dismiss that stereotype.

Away from textbooks and laboratories, Chhillar is also a national-level chess player, a district-level footballer, and a guitarist. "Yes, to win a gold at the world stage, I have put in hours of work and studies for nights on stretch, but I have also gone out and explore my love for sports," says the Computer Science Engineering student at IIT Bombay, adding, "I have a m...