It took a tiebreaking round against the other remaining competitor, but at the end of the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee, St. Pete-based Bruhat Soma correctly spelled 29 out of 30 words correctly, trouncing Faizan Zaki from Texas, who managed to get nine of them right.
He won with the word “abseil” (pronounced “ab-SAIL”), a term used in rock and mountain climbing to descend a vertical surface by using a rope tied around your body and secured to a point above. It’s used more in the UK than in North America, and it’s a synonym for rappel.
In his honor, these billboards have been popping up alkl over the area:
Congrats, Bruhat, and thanks for representing all of us Asian overachievers in Tampa Bay!
Bruhat Soma in the news
- Tampa Bay Times: Tampa’s new national spelling bee champion: ‘I knew I had a chance.’
- Tampa Bay Times: Florida claims second straight Scripps spelling bee champ
- Associated Press: Bruhat Soma, 12, wins Scripps National Spelling Bee
- Associated Press: National Spelling Bee reflects the economic success and cultural impact of immigrants from India
- Washington Post: Meet the record-setting 2024 spelling bee champion: Bruhat Soma
- New York Times: From 74th Place to Spelling Champion: One Boy’s Journey to Win the Scripps Bee
- CNN: See the moment 12-year-old won the National Spelling Bee
- NPR: A 12-year-old from Florida has won this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee
- NBC News: Spelling champ Bruhat Soma rides an unbeaten streak to the Scripps National Bee title, winning tiebreaker