Article by Michel Wozniak
The 9th World Speed Reading Championships.
SINGAPORE 2016
The 2016 World Speed Reading Championship took place in Singapore, at the YMCA. During half a day, the competitors challenged their own capacity to read fast, but also to understand what they are reading.
The first World Speed Reading Championship dates back to 1992. During seven years, the competition was organized every year, until 1999. Anne Jones won the World Speed Reading Championship six times and made many television and radio appearances. In 2015, she was filmed by Sky, the BBC and ITV at the launch of Harper Lee’s novel “Go Set A Watchman”. She read the entire book in twenty-five minutes and thirty-one seconds, before being interviewed by local, national and international press, including The Wall Street Journal. The capacity of the human brain is amazing.
In 2016, after a period of break, the 9th World Speed Reading Council decided to organize a Championship again, in Singapore, just the day before the prestigious World Memory Championship, with the support of the GOMSA (Guild of Mind Sports Arbiters).
The Championship was honoured by the presence of Professor Tony Buzan, the inventor of Mind Maps, who arbitered the event himself, as an evidence of the importance he personally gives to Speed Reading skills.
The competitors coming from all over the world were given an unpublished novel to read, in order to make sure that nobody could already know about the content. The book was entitled “Karma & Diamonds – Book 1 – Moon child”, by Smita Joshi. It was a 300 pages novel about the life of an indian girl who discovered her inner Self after a life threatening experience.
First Place: Gold Winner: Jas Dutt
Second Place: Siver Winner: Matteo Salvo
Third Place: Bronze Winner: Michel Wozniak
Read the full article in Synapsia Volume 11 Issue 4
