Zaila Avant-garde, 14, from Harvey, La., commemorates winning the finals of the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee at Disney World on Thursday.
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Zaila Avant-garde, 14, from Harvey, La., celebrates winning the finals of the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee at Disney World on Thursday.
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Chaitra Thummala, 12, from Frisco, Texas, finished in second place at this years Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Past years ended in ties– a record 8 spellers won in 2019– however this year, a new rule said that spellers who remain at the end of the allotted time have 90 seconds to spell as lots of words as they can from a fixed spell-off list of words. There was no need for a tie-breaker, to the chagrin of some rapt spectators: Avant-garde easily outspelled the competitors. No matter their last standing, these kids do not dissatisfy with their smarts, grit and, of course, facial expressions.
Fourteen-year-old Zaila Avant-garde has actually won the Scripps National Spelling Bee– and $50,000. Avant-garde competed in the 2019 Bee, but didnt make it to the finals. Progressive holds three Guinness World Records for her basketball talents: the most bounce juggles in 1 minute with four basketballs, the most basketball bounces in 30 seconds with 4 basketballs, and connects the record for a lot of basketballs dribbled at as soon as– 6– by one person.
Progressive was among 11 finalists who emerged from a group of 209 candidates, ranging in age from 9-15. The competitors began essentially in June with preliminaries, followed by semifinals and quarterfinals. The final round Thursday night was held in-person at Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. Woman Jill Biden, a teacher herself, was there to witness the drama.
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Ashrita Gandhari, 14, from Ashburn, Va
.
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Dhroov Bharatia, 12, from Plano, Texas, responds after correctly spelling a word during the finals.
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Roy Seligman, 12, from Nassau, The Bahamas, reaches the finals.
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Avani Joshi, 13, from Roscoe, Ill., completes during the finals.
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Fourteen-year-old Zaila Avant-garde has won the Scripps National Spelling Bee– and $50,000. Avant-garde completed in the 2019 Bee, but didnt make it to the finals. The final round Thursday night was held in-person at Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. No matter their last standing, these kids do not dissatisfy with their smarts, grit and, of course, facial expressions. John Raoux/AP
