Washington (United States) (AFP) – Whether he was faced with inscrutable words like “hwyl,” “potto,” or “pluchea,” California teenager Shrey Parikh’s confident nod never faltered as he methodically spelled his way to win the United States’ national spelling bee on Thursday. It was the 14-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga’s third time as a finalist at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, where he beat out 247 other contestants who have been competing for three days at Washington’s Constitution Hall.
But underneath his calm demeanor, Parikh said he had worried early on in the contest, “because I knew the word, but, you know, when you’re on stage you always kind of doubt yourself, so I’m glad I just stuck with my gut and got it right.” This year the contest went to a spell-off, where the final two contestants spell as many words as they can in 90 seconds. Parikh correctly spelled 32 words in the allotted time, beating the 25 words spelled by Ishaan Gupta of New Jersey City, who took second place.
Asked if he prepared for the speed-test, Parikh said, “you know, spelling fast is what I do every day, so you know, a spell-off just kind of came naturally, and it was just like another day of spelling.” In addition to the Scripps Cup trophy, adorned with flowers and bumble bees, the winner takes home $50,000 in cash, as well as prizes from Delta Airlines, Encyclopedia Britannica, and Merriam-Webster. Runners-up win smaller denominations of cash and prize packages.
Children across the United States have participated in spelling bees with the hopes of making it to the national contest since 1925, according to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
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