20-Year-Old Indian Student Recalls 80 Numbers In 13.5 Seconds, Wins Memory World Championship

A 20-year-old Indian college student, Vishvaa Rajakumar, has won the Memory League World Championship, an online competition that tests participants’ ability to memorise and recall information at high speed. One of the key challenges includes memorising the order of 80 random numbers as quickly as possible.

According to the Memory League website, Rajakumar is currently ranked No. 1 with a score of 5,000. He is a student at Puducherry-based Manakula Vinayagar Institute of Technology.

Demonstrating exceptional memory skills, Rajakumar recalled 80 numbers in just 13.50 seconds and 30 images in 8.40 seconds.

Discussing his preparation, he highlighted the role of hydration in enhancing memory. “Hydration is very important because it helps your brain. When you memorise things, you usually sub-vocalise, and it helps to have a clear throat. Let’s say you’re reading a book—you’re not reading it out loud, but you are vocalising within yourself. If you don’t drink a lot of water, your speed will be a bit low. If you drink a lot of water, it will be more and more clear, and you can read it faster,” he explained.

Sharing his experience at the championship, Rajakumar described the process. “Contestants are shown 80 random numbers on a screen and must memorise them as quickly as possible. After clicking a button, the recall sheet appears, and participants must write down the numbers,” he told The New York Times.