Mumbai, Aug. 22 -- After a commendable performance, the Indian national team has won four gold medals and a silver medal at the 18th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) 2025 held in Mumbai from August 15 to 21. This year the prestigious global event brought together 288 students from 63 different countries. The Indian gold medalists are Aarush Mishra from Bengaluru, Banibrata Majee from Delhi, Panini from Patna, and Akshat Srivastava from Kolkata. Sumant Gupta from Gurugram bagged the silver medal. With this performance, India reaffirmed its status as one of the global leaders in science education and Olympiad excellence. The medals, awarded individually to team members, are based on a participant's performance across a series of practical and theoretical evaluations. This year, the Iranian team emerged as a top performer, being the only team where all five members won gold medals. The Indian contingent was mentored by team leaders professor Jasjeet Singh Bagla and Dr Harvinder Kaur Jassal from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali. Bagla shared that the team was selected after a rigorous orientation-cum-selection camp at IISER Mohali after the Indian National Astronomy Olympiad. Of the 54 shortlisted students, 37 were selected for intensive training sessions at IISER in May and June. Based on their performance, a team of five was chosen to represent India. The IOAA concluded with a grand closing ceremony on August 21, where participants were awarded 145 medals ( 50 gold, 44 silver and 51 bronze) and 26 honourable mentions. Senior scientist and Homi Bhabha National Institute chancellor Anil Kakodkar congratulated the winners and praised their pursuit of scientific excellence. He highlighted India's growing investments in astronomy and space research and urged young scientists to continue exploring new frontiers with curiosity and dedication. This year the IOAA, established in 2007, was organized by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), a national centre of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR)....