Shrey Parikh, a 14-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga, California, has won the Scripps National Spelling Bee after a dramatic lightning-round tiebreaker.
The final came down to a 90-second spell-off, where Parikh correctly spelled 32 words to claim the championship.
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Tiebreaker Decides Champion
His opponent, Ishaan Gupta, finished the rapid-fire round with 25 correctly spelled words.
The tiebreaker concluded a highly competitive match between the two finalists.
Parikh entered the national event as a tournament favorite and maintained his composure under intense pressure.
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Road to Victory
Parikh previously finished third in the 2024 national competition.
Last year, he lost his local school bee due to a fever.
Since that setback, the California teenager has dominated the spelling circuit, winning multiple online contests against top competitors.
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His victory in Washington caps a remarkable comeback.
