Young Indian-American Bruhat Soma wins Scripps National Spelling Bee

12-year-old Indian-American student Bruhat Soma, from Florida, made headlines on May 30 by clinching victory at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Soma showcased his remarkable linguistic prowess by flawlessly spelling 29 words within a tight 90-second window.

The young champion not only secured bragging rights but also bagged a handsome prize of USD 50,000 (approximately Rs 41.64 lakh) in cash and other rewards. The competition reached a thrilling climax as Soma tackled a range of complex and tricky words, leaving his competitor Faizan Zaki trailing behind with only 20 correctly spelled words in the lightning round.

Soma's defining moment came when he effortlessly spelled "abseil," a term denoting a mountaineering descent technique using a rope looped over a projection. In the tiebreaker, Soma showcased his exceptional memory by flawlessly navigating through 30 words, answering 29 of them correctly. Meanwhile, Zaki stumbled, misspelling four words out of 25 attempted.

Praising Soma's remarkable achievement, the organisers declared, "Bruhat Soma rules the word! The Champion of the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee! The boy with the unbelievable memory doesn't miss a word all week and takes home the Scripps Cup!"

Bruhat Soma correctly spelt 29 out of 30 words and attempted to earn the coveted champion title and beat the standing spell-off record set by Harini Logan in 2022. Logan spelt 22 out of 26 words correctly during the competition’s first-ever spell-off.