Twelve-year-old Bruhat Soma from Tampa, Florida, has won the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee in a thrilling tiebreaker against Faizan Zaki. The victory, reported by American media on Friday, capped off the competition on Thursday night.
Victory through tiebreaker
In the decisive tiebreaker round, Bruhat correctly spelled 29 words, surpassing Zaki by nine words to clinch the title. According to the Associated Press, Soma will receive a trophy and more than $50,000 in cash and prizes for his achievement.
Bruhat, currently a seventh grader, had previously won three consecutive spelling bees. The final round began with eight contestants and included lengthy commercial breaks, during which finalists mingled with their coaches, relatives, and supporters.
During the tiebreaker, Bruhat set the pace by spelling 30 words. Zaki, whose pace was more uneven, attempted 25 words but misspelled four, securing Bruhat’s victory.
Bruhat’s reaction
Expressing his joy, Bruhat said, “It didn’t matter if I won all those other bees. This is what I was aiming for. So I’m just really happy that I won this.”
Previous achievements
Before this national triumph, Bruhat had won the Words of Wisdom bee, the SpellPundit bee, and the first-ever online bee hosted by last year’s Scripps champion, Dev.
Bruhat’s last loss was in September 2023 at the WishWin senior spelling bee, where he misspelled “Gloucester.” After this defeat, he embarked on an impressive winning streak, culminating in his national victory.