WASHINGTON (AP) — As it turned out, Sameer Mishra provided more than just comic relief at the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee. He ended up winning the title.
The 13-year-old from West Lafayette, Ind., who often had the audience laughing with his one-line commentaries was all business when he aced “guerdon” — a word that appropriately means “something that one has earned or gained” — to win the 81st version of the bee Friday night.
“I don’t know about comedy lines, but my parents have been telling me since the beginning that I should always stay calm, cool and collected,” said Sameer, who likes playing the violin and video games, and hopes one day to be a neurosurgeon.
Sameer, appearing in the bee for the fourth time and a top 20 finisher the last two years, clenched both fists and put his hands to his face after spelling the winning word. He won a tense duel over first-time participant Sidharth Chand, 12, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., who finally stumbled on “prosopopoeia,” a word describing a type of figure of speech.
For placing first, Sameer will receive $35,000 in cash plus more than $5,000 in other prizes.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A 13-year-old boy has won the Scripps National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling the word “guerdon.”
Sameer Mishra of West Lafayette, Ind., bested 287 other entrants to take first prize. He will receive $35,000 in cash plus more than $5,000 in other prizes.
This year’s was the 81st edition of the bee, held in the nation’s capital.
here is the history of the competition
The Scripps National Spelling Bee (formerly known as the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee and commonly referred to simply as the National Spelling Bee) is a highly competitive annual spelling bee. It is run on a not-for-profit basis by The E. W. Scripps Company and is held in the ballroom at the Grand Hyatt Washington hotel in Washington, D.C. Historically, the competition has been open to, and remains open to, the winners of sponsored American regional spelling bees. Over the years, the competition has been opened to contestants from Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, New Zealand, Guam, Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Bahamas. Participants from countries other than the United States must be regional spelling bee competition winners as well. In recent years, the Championship Finals have aired live on ABC from 8:00 PM to after 10:00 p.m. EDT.
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