Agastya Goel, an Indian-origin student from Palo Alto, California, has garnered attention after winning a gold medal at the 2025 International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) in Paris. As a member of the U.S. Physics Team, he contributed to their historic victory, where the team secured gold medals across the board, a feat unmatched by any other of the 85 participating countries. Soon after their victory, the team was hosted at the White House by President Donald Trump.
The U.S. Physics Team's victorious members included Agastya Goel, Allen Li, Joshua Wang, Feodor Yevtushenko, and Brian Zhang. The Olympiad took place at École Polytechnique in Palaiseau, Paris, France, from July 17 to 25, under the theme "Physics Beyond Frontiers". The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) organized the olympiad.
Agastya is a junior at Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California. Beyond physics, his interests span tennis, hiking, stargazing, singing, playing guitar and piano, and listening to podcasts on news, economics, and science. He is involved in school clubs such as the Gunn Board Game Club, Gunn Competitive Programming Club, Gunn Varsity Tennis Team, and Gunn Choir.
Agastya's achievements include a gold medal at the 2023 International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI), and he was a USACO Finalist in 2022, 2023, and 2024. He also won a silver medal at the USAPhO 2023 and received an Honorable Mention in 2022. Further, he participated in the Mathematical Olympiad Program (MOP) in 2023 and contributed to PRIMES-USA in 2023. From June 2021 to February 2024, he worked as a part-time researcher at Euler Circle in Palo Alto.
Agastya's interest in physics sparked during car rides and hikes with his father. While he initially focused on computer science, his passion for physics intensified during the winter break of 2023, where he spent two weeks studying physics, even in front of the Taj Mahal.
Agastya's father, Ashish Goel, is a professor at Stanford University. Ashish Goel studied computer science at IIT Kanpur and earned a PhD from Stanford. He specializes in algorithmic game theory, computational social science, and early monetization strategies.
The U.S. Physics Team's coaches for the 2025 IPhO included Academic Director Tengiz Bibilashvili, Kellan Colburn, Natalie LeBaron, Rishab Parthasarathy, Elena Yudovina, and Junior Coach Evan Erickson. The team's participation was supported by private donors, the American Institute for Physics, and its member societies.
