A 14-year-old Indian-American student, Harini Logan, took first place in the Scripps National Spelling Bee after spelling 21 words in a 90-second speed round. In the first-ever tiebreaker in the spelling bee, she defeated Vikram Raju, another Indian-origin adolescent.
In that time, Vikram, a seventh-grader from Denver, correctly identified 15 words. This was the first time the Scripps National Spelling Bee used a tiebreaker. Harini defeated over 230 other contestants at the national level, including 12 other finalists.
How Has The Spelling Bee Evolved?
A record-breaking eight pupils were named co-champions in the year 2019. In recent years, contest administrators have had to adopt additional regulations due to this. This includes a possible ‘lightning’ tiebreaker round in which two pupils compete in a spell-off.
This year, five candidates were eliminated from the word-meaning round. Kirsten Santos, 11, of Texas, was among the spellers that were eliminated. She was one of the youngest finalists at the Scripps Spelling Bee.
Just three spellers were remaining after this round. Harini had been removed from the courtroom but was restored after judges determined that her interpretation of the phrase ‘pullulation’ was valid.
Spelling Bee Words In The Final Round
Words like scyllarian, pyrrolidone, Otukian, and Senijextee appeared in the final round of the spelling bee. The words spelt at the spelling bee have gotten more complex and cryptic over time.
Students are not falling behind in any way. They’ve improved and kept up with the most challenging terms in fields ranging from botany to medicine to folk art and other specialized fields.
While Indian-origin children and teenagers have consistently excelled in national spelling bee competitions, Zaila Avant-garde, 14, became the first Black American to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee last year.
Zaila is an extraordinary adolescent who, although not being in ninth grade, has three Guinness World Records for dribbling, bouncing, and juggling basketballs.
The 2022 spelling bee is the first with eight joint champions since the main 2019 event, as the 2020 edition was cancelled owing to the pandemic, and the 2021 edition was primarily held in a virtual format.
