Multiple World Records Set in International Investing Competition

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The United States Investing Championship just announced its final standings for 2025. There were 579 international competitors, each of whom selected a real money account to be tracked before the competition began. Prior top performers include Paul Tudor Jones, Mark Minervini, David Ryan, Mark Strome, and Dr. Edward O. Thorp.

Winning the $1,000,000+ stock division for the second year in a row, + 252.3%, is Law Wai-Sum from Hong Kong. Coupled with his record-breaking finish of + 353.9% in 2024, Mr. Wai-Sum has established a new two-year record in the million+ division of + 1,499%. In comparison, the S&P 500’s total return was 47% over the same period. Second + 167.5% is Christian Flanders. Christian was + 433.5% in the 2024 $20,000+ stock division. Finishing third with a gain of 140.4% is Clement Ang from Hong Kong. Mr. Ang was + 79.3% in the 2024 $20,000+ division. Other traders reporting profits of 20% or more are George Tkaczuk + 86.3%, Tong Wang (ViZen Management) + 73.5%, Steve McIntosh (Nighthawk Management Group) + 70%, Ron Bagley (Bagley Capital Management) + 61.6%, Theo Gustincic (Sila) + 58.3%, Anthony Shi + 47.6%, Joshua Wat (JW Capital Limited) + 45.7%, and Matthew Laydon Capital Management + 40.9%.

In the $1,000,000+ enhanced growth division, which allows trading of futures and options, the winner is Bob Weissman of Minervini Private Access with a 115.4% gain. That is a new record in the enhanced growth division. Second + 108.3% is David Forehand, from Texas. Third + 95.7% is Vikash Raniga. Vikash, a full-time trader, was born in Fiji. Other participants reporting profits of 10% or more are Gravity Analytica + 75.2%, Ashwin Raghavan + 75%, Magnus Sigurdsson + 66%, Daniel Lee + 65.7%, Omar Abdul-Hameed + 43.2%, Andrew O’Connell, CFA, FRM (Pristine Capital) + 39.1%, and SK Chong (Kamet Capital Partners) + 10.9%.

Among participants trading between $20,000 and $1,000,000 in stocks or ETFs, the winner is Martin Luk, from Hong Kong, with a gain of 969.8%. That is a new world record in the stock division. Mr. Luk was + 283.1% in the 2024 competition. Second + 382% is Rajnus Capital, LLC, run by Ty Rajnus. Ty’s family are potato farmers. Third, with a 264% gain, is Adrian Law from Hong Kong. Other traders reporting gains over 50% are Aleksandr Evseev + 246.5%, Gabrial Blanco, CPA + 239%, Forte H. + 230.8%, Richard Yeo Lye Heng + 132.1%, Jo Mo + 94.2%, Sean Ryan + 88.8%, Milan Kharal + 86.2%, T. Garwe, Ph.D. + 85.2%, Jan Dudek + 85%, Jessie Chia-Pei Lin, CFA + 82%, Idris Vohra + 72.7%, Dale Huang + 71.1%, Mike Chester + 71%, Castle Canyon Investments + 64.9%, Nisov Piya + 61.9%, Javi Medina + 60.5%, Mike Silva + 55.5%, Adam R. Graham, P.E. + 55.5%, Kohei Yamada + 52.3%, and Aaron Starkovich + 51.3%.

Sean Ryan continues to set new long-term records

Sean Ryan, the son of three-time United States first-place finisher David Ryan, is the only participant to enter every competition since the USIC restarted in 2019 and report a profit. His gains have been from 2019 onward: +51.8%, +128%, +18%, +132%, +151.4%, +40.8%, and +88.8%, for a combined percentage gain of 6,232%! In comparison, the total return investing in the S&P 500 from December 31, 2018, to December 31, 2025, was 205%.

Among participants trading between $20,000 and $1,000,000 in the enhanced growth division, the winner is Tito Adhikary, Ph.D. + 2,115.1%. That is a new record across all divisions. Dr. Adhikary holds a Ph.D. from Harvard. He is a researcher at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Second + 857.3% is Bob Doviak, from Dallas. Bob participated in the United States Investing Championship back in the 1980’s. Third + 299.4% is Thawin Suksathaporn, a full-time trader from Bangkok. Other traders finishing up 50% or more are Emanuela Elias + 259.9%, William Li + 229.4%, Victor Presenti + 159.7%, Baran Kayhan, CFA + 135.1%, Nick Weiant + 102.9%, Alfredo Holguin + 100.2%, Kishor Limbu + 95.9%, Tyler Mannion, CPA + 93.3%, Prabhat Kiran + 91.6%, Win Wind + 86.9%, Urus + 75.5%, Menelaos Fthenakis + 62.7%, Senthil Kumar + 58%, and Matt Kilmer + 51.9%.

Of special note, a blind trader, Alfredo Holguin of Holguintrades.com, finished + 100.2%. Great work, Alfredo!

Since its inception in 1983, the United States Investing Championship has attracted legendary traders, including Paul Tudor Jones, Mark Minervini, David Ryan, Sean Ryan, Louis Bacon, Dr. Edward O. Thorp, Mark Strome, Doug Kass, Sheen Kassouf, Marty Schwartz, Frankie Joe, Tom Basso, Cedd Moses, Gil Blake, Robert Prechter, Jr., and Bruno Combier.

The standings appear on financial-competitions.com along with articles about top performers from Business Insider, Institutional Investor, the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Investor’s Business Daily, and Forbes, among others. The standings also appear on X at @USICOfficial.

Entries for the 2026 competition are currently being accepted at financial-competitions.com.

The contest coordinator, Dr. Norman Zadeh (aka Zada), is also president of the Lotfi Zadeh Foundation, a charity created to build thousands of ultra-low-cost ($5,000/unit) residences in sparsely populated areas and to fully care for the homeless. (Visit lotfi-zadeh.com for more information.) Dr. Zadeh taught Operations Research in a visiting capacity at Stanford, UCLA, UC Irvine, and Columbia University between 1975 and 1983. He managed hedge funds from 1991 to 2012. His father, Lotfi Zadeh, created fuzzy logic. Norm is the author of four books: Hold’em Poker Super Strategy (released in 2020), Winning Poker Systems (Prentice Hall, 1974), The Rise and Fall of Perfect 10 (released in 2021), and Fox News: The Enemy Within (released in 2021). If you’re wildly intoxicated and hopelessly bored, check out some of Norm’s standup on YouTube.

Contacts

For more information, contact Dr. Norman Zadeh at normanz@earthlink.net or call 310-409-7193.