'LeBron James of spreadsheets' wins world Microsoft Excel title

Summary

'LeBron James of spreadsheets' wins world Microsoft Excel titleJamie McColganBBC News NIMEWCDiarmuid took the Excel World Championship belt from three time winner Andrew NgaiIrishman Diarmuid Early emerged onto the HyperX arena in Las Vegas under the bright lights, dramatic music, and fanfare worthy of any major sporting final.Only this time, instead of a ball there was a keyboard and mouse, and the playing field a humble desktop setup.Dubbed the "LeBron James of Excel spreadsheets", Galway born and Waterford raised Diarmuid is now the world's best worksheet whizz.He won the 2025 Microsoft Excel World Championships, where a $60,000 (£45,726) prize pot has propelled the computer program from the office into a high stakes spectacle.MEWCThe triple world Excel champion Andrew Ngai is an actuary from Australia 'You're constantly watching your back'The esport showpiece in December attracted competitors worldwide as 256 spreadsheet heads battled it out across knockout rounds to join the final 24 in Vegas.It may sound bizarre, but Diarmuid described how the intense atmosphere of the finals lives up to the buzz."Most of the time you're playing at home by yourself and it's pretty calm and low-key," he said."But when you get to Vegas, it's just outrageous. You just hear everybody roaring, but you have no idea why, it's hectic."It happens in this esports arena with hundreds of people in stands of seats watching and shouting, with commentators calling the shots."They give you headphones, but they're not noise cancelling, and even if they were I don't know if that would be enough."MEWCFans in attendance are passionate about the Excel gamesVegas is a far-cry from the workplace, but the tournament was every bit as competitive.Diarmuid explained that timed eliminations begin in the last round, so every five minutes, those in last place get knocked out."So you're just settling in, kind of figuring out how this is going to work, and you'll just hear: 'Thanks for playing, you're out',"...