A 13-year old Indian-American boy has emerged as the winner of a spelling bee contest in the US in an epic verbal duel that lasted a total of 95 rounds.
Kush Sharma, a seventh-grader at Frontier School of Innovation County, won the Spelling Bee at the Central Library in Kansas City in Missouri Saturday and secured a berth in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington scheduled for May, The Kanas City Star reported.
Sharma's opponent in the last round was Sophia Hoffman, an 11-year-old student of Lee's Summit School.
The two played 75 rounds alone, spread over two weeks, after everyone else long fell out of the competition.
On Feb 22, the competition was suspended when the judges ran out of words.
Coming back Saturday to pick up their marathon bout, Sophia, 11, misspelled her word - "stifling" - and lost the game.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors
Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share
Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor
Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements
Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app