JMC Final 2017
Nilani Sutharshan gave her dad Sutha a very memorable Fathers' Day on Sunday when she became the new national Junior Memory Champion.
The incredible eleven year-old from Redbridge School in Essex won a hotly-contested final at London Zoo, amazing the audience with her learning skills as she took the title for 2017.
At London Zoo the very best children were put through their paces by the championship's Founder, former World Memory Champion Jonathan Hancock. This year's challenges included a memory test about the London Underground, as well as numbers, words, and a collection of names and faces.
The competition was fierce but, in the end, Nilani's strong all-round performance gave her the top score. On the way to the title she managed to memorize a string of 34 numbers; 35 random words in precise order; and she achieved a perfect 40 out of 40 on the names and faces test - each feat after just 5 minutes of study.
Jess Briggs from North Newton Community School was second. She scored a record-breaking 50 out of 50 on the random words challenge.
Third place went to Max Bavinton from Alleyn's School. He impressed the audience by winning the text challenge with a perfect, 100% score.
Jonathan Hancock said: "It seems that every year now the children surpass themselves. For me, this final was the most exciting ever, and the results really are incredibly good. We've been doing this competition for nine years now and Sunday's event proved that the teachers we work with are very clear about the benefits of memory training. I'm sure these children will now keep using their trained brains as they take the next steps in their education - and, if they do, they're destined to achieve great things!"
Since its launch in 2008, the Junior Memory Championship has introduced memory techniques to tens of thousands of children across the UK.
Caroline Shott, CEO of The Learning Skills Foundation said: "We are delighted that the Junior Memory Championship goes from strength to strength. This is a wonderful project, bringing powerful memory techniques to the front line of learning. The JMC has become a fixture on the calendar for many teachers around the country as they see the very real benefits of memory skills. Our finalists represent some of the brightest young minds in the UK - all taking their learning to the next level by using Jonathan's memory training techniques. Nilani has done brilliantly to win and I'm sure she has a very bright future!"
