The principal of Jagdam College, Pramendra Ranjan, has returned a proud teacher to the district.

A team of high school students led by him clinched two gold, four silver and two bronze medals in the 13th Asian Physics Olympiad held in New Delhi from May 1 to 7.

The team bagged the fourth position in the tournament featuring 156 students from 21 countries.

Ranjan told The Telegraph on Thursday the achievement is the best-ever by an Indian team in the event, which was organised in the country for the first time.

The senior academic who has earlier led the Indian team thrice at the event didn’t have much luck with medals. Last year, his team managed to win a bronze, while the 2009 and 2010 quest went without a single medal.

In 2009, 2010 and 2011, Ranjan had led the Indian team at Hanoi, Mexico and Croatia.

“India has made its presence felt in the field of physics,” Ranjan said after returning from New Delhi.

Teams from China, Taiwan and Indonesia stood first second and third at the Physics Olympiad.

Impressed by the performance of the Indian team, the Saudi Arabian government has invited Ranjan to train its team. The principal said he would go to Saudi Arab in Ju-ne to train the students there.

The physics Olympiad was organised in India for the first time under the aegis of human resource development (HRD) department, department of atomic energy, department of science and technology and the Delhi University.

Next Asian physics Olympiad will be held in Indonesia in 2013. Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal and home minister P. Chidambaram were present at the event and conferred the performance certificate on Ranjan.