i often find it hard to read other's code than to write mine own version of code but competitive programming is not just all about writing codes. i have often heard people that you learn a lot when you read other's code whether its when you are trying to learn something out of other's code or you are trying to hack a solution in any contest.
can you throw some light on how one can increase his ability to read totally unfamiliar code easily and understand the algorithm working behind it swiftly.
Like any other thing, you can improve it by practice! Go through other people's solutions and try to understand them as quickly as possible.
To learn art of reading code, have a look here