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MATTHEW SYED

Expert on Achieving Extraordinary Performance

Before becoming a sport writer, Matthew was England's table tennis Champion for almost a decade, three-times Commonwealth Champion, and twice competed for Great Britain in the Olympic Games.

Matthew is currently a sport columnist and feature writer for The Times. He has won numerous prizes for his writing including Sports Journalist of the Year at the British Press Awards and Sports Feature Writer of the Year at the Sports Journalist Association Awards. His first book "Bounce" (2010) has been described as "one of the most intelligent and thought-provoking books about sport ever written".

He also commentates on sport for the BBC and Eurosport, and is a regular contributor to radio and television shows. He is co-founder of TTK Greenhouse, a charity which empowers youngsters through sport, currently supporting more than 10.000 young people. Matthew graduated from Oxford University with a prize-winning first class degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

Personal Growth
Extraordinary Performance

Bounce

Just what does it take to be the best? Matthew Syed uncovers the "hidden logic of success" behind the careers of world-beaters, from David Beckham and Serena Williams to Mozart and Picasso, explaining why some people thrive under pressure while others choke, and weighting the value of innate ability against that of practice, hard work and will.

From sex to math, from the motivation of children to the culture of big business, he shows how competition provides a master key with which to unlock the mysteries of the world. Through the perspectives of neuroscience, psychology and economics, he reveals what really lies behind world-beating achievement in sport and other walks of life.