Chicago Man Wins International Speech Competition

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 30-year-old man who came to Chicago from Bulgaria 10 years ago seeking a better life has won the top honors in an international speech competition.

Presiyan Vasilev is the winner of the Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking, delivering a speech he called, "Changed By A Tire." The speech is a story about asking people for help and believing they would make fun of him and realizing his weakness was in refusing to reach out.

"The steering wheel jerked. I tried to keep the car in control. That night in Chicago, a flat tire changed me," said Vasilev in his story.

The contest began six-months ago with 30,000 contestants from 122 countries and ended over the weekend where he beat eight other finalists. He says it has been a great journey.