PETALING JAYA: He spent 16 years practising and building his confidence in public speaking - and now, he has made Malaysia proud too.
Gurmeet Singh’s efforts have earned him second place at the 2026 World Championship of Public Speaking in Vancouver, Canada, held two weeks ago.
He was among eight finalists from around the world and finished second with his speech titled “Good for Nothing”, according to a statement from Toastmasters International.
Gurmeet had represented Toastmasters International District 51 in the competition.
Toastmasters International is a global nonprofit educational organisation whose mission is to empower individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders.
For Gurmeet, the moment carried a deeper personal meaning.
“Every person who ever called me ‘good for nothing’ wasn’t in that room, but for the first time, I didn’t need them to be.
“I finally believed the opposite myself,” he said in the statement.
Gurmeet’s achievement is a culmination of his 16 years in Toastmasters, after he spent time developing his communication skills, confidence and leadership through practice, feedback and continuous learning.
On his journey, he said, “Growth is choosing to be one per cent better than yesterday’s version of you.”
His feat also marks the second time in a row that a Malaysian has finished in second place in the competition, after Mas Mahathir Mohamad in the World Championship last year.
The World Championship of Public Speaking is the culmination of Toastmasters International’s annual International Speech Contest.
Speakers begin at club level before progressing through Area, Division, District and Quarterfinal competitions.
Each year, thousands of Toastmasters representing more than 100 countries take part in the competition.
