Bruhat Soma, 12, triumphs in scripps national Spelling Bee
In a remarkable display of linguistic prowess, 12-year-old Indian-American Bruhat Soma from Florida clinched victory in the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday, earning over $50,000 in cash and prizes. Soma, a seventh-grader, demonstrated exceptional skill by correctly spelling 29 words in a tiebreaker round, continuing the tradition of dominance by Indian-American students in this prestigious competition.
The 2024 contest concluded with a nail-biting tiebreaker between Soma and Faizan Zaki of Texas. Soma’s final word, “abseil” – meaning a descent in mountaineering using a rope – secured his championship. In the 90-second lightning round, Soma spelled 29 words correctly, outpacing Zaki, who managed 20 correct spellings.
The Bee, cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has seen remarkable participation and success from Indian-Americans, highlighting their significant impact on the competition
“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!” declared the event organizers.
Soma’s achievement also surpassed the previous spell-off record held by Harini Logan, who had spelled 22 out of 26 words correctly in 2022. “As the competition progressed, it was clear that Faizan and Bruhat – our final two spellers – showed up tonight ready to take down the dictionary,” said Corrie Loeffler, the Bee’s executive director.
The finalists had 90 seconds to spell as many words as possible from a pre-determined list while the other contestant was sequestered. Adam Symson, president and CEO of The E.W. Scripps Company, presented Soma with the championship trophy, praising his knowledge and composure.
This was Soma’s third attempt at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, having previously tied for 74th place in 2023 and 163rd in 2022. Zaki, the runner-up, received $25,000, while Shrey Parikh from California and Ananya Prassanna from North Carolina, who tied for third place, each received $12,500.
Coached by 16-year-old former speller Sam Evans, Soma had previously won the Words of Wisdom Bee and the SpellPundit Bee. His father, Srinivas Soma, hails from Nalgonda in Telangana, India.
The 2024 competition featured eight finalists, five of whom were Indian-Americans. This trend continued from previous years, with 29 Indian-Americans having won the championship since 1999. Last year’s champion, Dev Shah, won with the word “psammophile,” and Harini Logan took the title in 2022.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee, the nation’s largest and longest-running educational program since 1925, is known for its high-pressure environment. This year saw 245 spellers, including 65 returning competitors and many with family legacies in the Bee. Notable repeat participants included Sarah Fernandes, Aryan Khedkar, Tarini Nandakumar, and Shradha Rachamreddy from the 2023 finalists, as well as Aliyah Alpert and Kirsten Santos from 2022. Indian-American Akash Vukoti also made a record six finals appearances since 2016.
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