As the Scripps National Spelling Bee returned to full, in person competition this year, some history was made last night – as a 14-year-old Texas girl won the first-ever spell-off. Harini Logan of San Antonio won last night near Washington, DC.
Logan received a trophy and a $50-thousand check after defeating 12-year-old Vikram Raju in a spelling duel to see how many words the contestants can spell correctly within 90 seconds. Harini correctly spelled 21 of the 26 words.
“We activated the spell-off because it was the best chance to show the extent of these spellers’ preparation,” Bee executive director Dr. J. Michael Durnil said. “Clearly, they demonstrated their deep capacity for the competition.” As for Logan, she’s just thrilled to have won. "Just so surreal,” she offered. “This is such a dream.”
- See the Spell-Off below
Source: USA Today