DALLAS, TX(TIP): 11th year in a row, an Indian American has emerged victorious in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Karthik Nemmani, 14, an eighth grader at Scoggins Middle School of McKinney, Texas, has won the 2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee. His winning word was “koinonia”.

Nemmani was all smiles after winning the Bee. When asked when he knew he won the competition, he responded “When I heard it [the word]”. He thanked his parents and his coach, stating that “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without her [his coach]”.

Spelling Bee veteran, Nayasa Modi, 11, a seventh grader from Texas, finished second. She was stumped by the word “Bewusstseinslage,” which she spelled “bewustsseinslage.” Nemmani however, seemed to know the word, nodding along to every letter Modi spit, shaking his head once he knew she spelled it incorrectly.

Nemmani will walk away with a cash prize of $40,000 and a trophy from SNSB, a $2,500 cash prize and complete reference library from Merriam-Webster, a trip to New York City to appear on Live with Kelly and Ryan, a trip to Hollywood to appear on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! and a pizza party for his school sponsored by Pizza Hut and Book It!

Eleven-year-old Abhijay Kodali, the youngest speller of the evening, finished third. He was eliminated after misspelling “aalii.”

The commencement of round 11 saw 7 spellers, all of whom were Indian American. 11 of the 16 finalists tonight were Indian American.

The 2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee was held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland from May 29-31.

(Source: The American Bazar)