Teodora Voinescu, a Romanian language teacher at the “Grigore Moisil” National College of Informatics in Bra\u0219ov, was crowned the world\u2019s fastest reader at the 33rd edition of the World Speed Reading Championship in Istanbul, Turkey.<\/p>\n
Voinescu competed against hundreds of contestants, especially from Asia but also from Europe, passionate about mind sports, chess, and with high IQs. She became the champion after reading over 130 pages in 30 minutes. Not only that, but she had to prove she understood what she read, as she had to answer specific questions about the text.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe competition itself involves reading a book within a certain timeframe\u2014a book unpublished and unknown until that moment. You are asked 20 content questions to which you must answer in detail, meaning you must show that you understood what you read. I raised my hand, said I finished reading, handed in the paper, answered the questions, and then left. Everything wrapped up in about 40 minutes,\u201d Teodora Voinescu said, cited by Brasov.net<\/a>.<\/p>\n The teacher says she sometimes reads two books a day. She recalls starting to read fluently at the age of three. The performance achieved in Turkey has opened other doors for her, she added.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe people there said they wanted to collaborate, for me to become a professional coach, to work with universities and companies abroad, and to develop manuals together with them. I\u2019ve been invited to the next edition in Vietnam next year. For me, it\u2019s extraordinary,\u201d Voinescu said.<\/p>\n Amazingly, Voinescu did not train for the competition. \u201cI don\u2019t have a technique or something specific. I didn\u2019t go in with a plan, like I have to do things a certain way. I simply read as I do at home,\u201d the teacher said.<\/p>\n