Dev Shah, 14-year-old Indian-origin boy, has won the Scripps National Spelling Bee 2023. The teenager from Largo, Florida spelled the word psammophile correctly, making him the winner of the annual contest in the United States.
This is the time time he competed in Scripps National Spelling Bee and the first time he made it to the final round. He previously competed in 2019, where he was tied for the 51st place, and in 2021, where he tied for the 76th place.
"It's surreal. I didn't even let it settle in. My legs are still shaking," he said. He was joined on the stage by his parents and brother after he was declared the champion.
"It's really emotional. It's hard. We are very proud of him. He put almost four years, and for the last one year, he has been spending at least 10 hours here and there (preparing). I'm so proud of him," Shah's mother said.
Shah takes home the prize money of $50,000.
In Pictures: Dev Shah crowned US National Spelling Bee Champion 2023
He answered 15 questions correctly, including describing the meaning of a couple of words. The qualified for the contest by spelling fustanella correctly.
A Roger Federer fan, Shah has many hobbies, including reading, playing tennis, playing the cello and solving math problems. The Class 8 student likes solving math problems with his friends during his free time. His favourite game is Wordle and favourite film in “La La Land”.
The winner of last year's Scripps National Spelling Bee too was an Indian-origin girl, 14-year-old Harini Logan. The teenager, who is from San Antonio, Texas, correctly spelt 22 words in the historic spell-off.
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