Irish Excel whiz sheets all over the competition in Vegas showdown

Ireland's Diarmuid Early has won the Excel World Championship. Readers of a certain age may be disappointed to learn he has never used Lotus 1-2-3.

Early beat last year's winner, Andrew Ngai of Australia, in a Las Vegas final livestreamed by ESPN. The show was vaguely reminiscent of a wrestling event, with a half-time show featuring an "Export to Excel" musical number. However, rather than oiled wrestlers, there were Excel experts, aiming to work their way through spreadsheet puzzles until a final winner could be crowned, awarded a $5,000 prize, a trophy, and a winner's wrestling-style belt.

The winner of the UK Excel Championship, Ha Dang, finished fifth in a field of twelve competitors.

Early, who has a PhD in computer science and is the founder of Early Days Consulting in New York, told The Register that his training involved "trying as ...