Shrey Parikh, a 14-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga, California, has been crowned champion of the Scripps National Spelling Bee after a tense tiebreaker against Ishaan Gupta. Shrey correctly spelled 32 words in the 90-second lightning round, while Ishaan managed 25, securing the title and a prize package including $52,500 and a custom trophy.
This victory marks a remarkable turnaround for Shrey, who finished third in last year's bee but lost his school bee after battling a fever. 'I was really dejected and just very upset,' he said. 'I'm glad I was able to bounce back.' His father, Gaurav Parikh, described the earlier setback as 'a blessing in disguise'.
Shrey's preparation was intense, with coaching from Sam Evans, who has trained the past three champions, along with co-champion Sohum Sukhatankar and longtime coach Vijaya Ganesh. His relentless effort impressed Evans: 'I've really never seen someone put this much effort into spelling bees.'
Ishaan, a 12-year-old from Jersey City, New Jersey, finished as runner-up and has another year of eligibility. Sarv Dharavane, a 12-year-old from Georgia, placed third for the second consecutive year and has two more years to compete.
The final, held at Constitution Hall for the first time, featured a strong field that went 18 for 18 in the opening rounds. The winner of the spell-off was later announced as 'bromocriptine', a polypeptide alkaloid.
