Indian boy shines at Spelling Bee, Bruhat Soma, 12, takes home the trophy in epic spell-off
12-year-old Bruhat Soma wins 96th Scripps National Spelling Bee in nail-biting finish
In a nail-biting finish, 12-year-old Bruhat Soma from Florida was crowned the winner of the 96th Scripps National Spelling Bee. After both finalists correctly spelt a barrage of increasingly difficult words, a spell-off, only the second ever in the competition's long history – became necessary to crown a champion. The atmosphere in the room was electric with tension as Soma and his rival traded tough remarks, with each win celebrated with loud cheers and gasps from the crowd.
“I’m really excited. It’s been my goal for this past year to win, and I’ve been working really hard,” the Indian-American Soma said on stage while accepting the trophy. “I really can’t describe it, I’m still shaking.” He added.
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Bruhat Soma wins National Spelling Bee
Bruhat Soma, a standout prodigy from Florida with Indian heritage, came out victorious in the Scripps National Spelling Bee! At just 12 years old, he faced off against another skilled speller in a nail-biting tiebreaker round that had everyone on the edge of their seats, including the nervous host.
Bruhat took control of the tiebreaker, correctly spelling an astounding 29 words in just 90 seconds, setting a bar so high that it looked impossible to beat. His opponent, Faizan Zaki, put up a strong effort but couldn't keep up with Bruhat's speed. Faizan managed to spell 25 words but missed four, securing Bruhat's victory and a whopping $50,000 in prize money!
Winning words at Spelling Bee 2024
In the last stage of the Spelling Bee, all eyes were fixed on the screen as Soma correctly spelled “Hoofddorp,” and Zaki spelled "nicuri," both moving on to the next round.
Bruhat Soma continues winning streak
Bruhat, a seventh-grade student hailing from Tampa, Florida, continued his series of triumphs in spelling bees, now reaching a total of four back to back victories. This impressive accomplishment earned him a spot in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Bruhat clinched victory in three spelling competitions. One contest, named Words of Wisdom, pitted him against other spelling experts. Another contest, SpellPundit, is produced by a study guide manufacturing company. And he also won an online bee, which was the first of its kind, and was hosted by Dev Shah, who was the Scripps National Spelling Bee champion last year.
Reacting to his big victory, Dev Shah, another Indian American who won the prestigious competition last year, expressed, "I am in shock and despair."
"I'm not really surprised that any of my students have made it this far. I know that they are all prepared. They have what it takes to win, all of them," said Evans, the person who tutored the finalists including Aditi Muthukumar, YY Liang, Ananya Rao Prassanna, Soma Bruhat and Kristen Tiffany Santos among others.