时间:2025-04-02 18:17:45 来源:网络整理编辑:探索
Fourteen-year-old Zaila Avant-garde has won the Scripps National Spelling Bee, becoming the first Af
Fourteen-year-old Zaila Avant-garde has won the Scripps National Spelling Bee, becoming the first African American to do so since the annual competition began in 1925. It's an incredible achievement made even more impressive by the fact that she only began to spell competitively two years ago.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee finals took place Thursday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida, 209 young spellers having been whittled down to 11 throughout June's virtual preliminaries, quarterfinals and semifinals. Last year the Scripps Spelling Bee was cancelleddue to the coronavirus pandemic — the first time this had occurred since World War II (same goes for Wimbledon). This year the show was able to go on, but finalists were safely socially distanced and wore face masks when not spelling.
The competition was tough, Scripps having introduced a new word meaning component requiring contestants to answer multiple choice vocabulary questions. However by the sixth round of the 2021 final (and fifteenth round overall) there were only two contestants remaining. The previous round saw 13-year-old Bhavana Madini finish third after adding an unnecessary "e" to the end of "athanor," leaving Avant-garde to duke it out with Chaitra Thummala, a 12 year old from San Francisco.
The pair traded words with neither dropping a vowel until two rounds later, when Thummala stumbled by using an "e" instead of an "o" in "neroli oil." This opened up the opportunity for Avant-garde to grab the win by correctly spelling "Murraya," defined as "a genus of tropical Asiatic and Australian trees having pinnate leaves and flowers with imbricated petals."
Avant-garde literally jumped for joy as she was declared the champion and colourful confetti rained down upon her. The new champion is not only Scripps' first African American winner, but also the first winner from Louisiana.
"I guess [it was] kind of just luck," said a charmingly humble Avant-garde during her post-competition interview. "Getting words I know for the most part — except for 'Nepeta,' which is a word I've always struggled with spelling. But I got it this time, so that's all that matters!"
2021's Scripps National Spelling Bee champion isn't the only title Avant-garde holds. A skilled basketball player, she currently holds three Guinness World Records: most bounce juggles in one minute with four basketballs (255), most basketball bounces in 30 seconds with four basketballs (307), and most basketballs dribbled simultaneously by one person (six, tied with another record holder).
"It was super exciting to win [the Spelling Bee] because now I get to get a nice trophy, which is the best part of any win," said Avant-garde.
SEE ALSO:From kitten gifs to Minecraft modding, these online games make coding fun for kidsThe Scripps Cup isn't the only prize Avant-garde will be taking home, though. The champion will also receive a commemorative medal, reference works from Merriam-Webster and Encyclopædia Britannica, and cash prizes totaling $52,500, providing a bit of extra support for her continuing education.
We asked linguists if Donald Trump speaks like that on purpose2025-04-02 17:35
VR porn will never take off until it solves these 3 problems2025-04-02 17:25
Mark Ruffalo spoiled the end of 'Avengers: Infinity War' last summer2025-04-02 16:45
MashTalk: The ethics of Google Duplex2025-04-02 16:34
'The Flying Bum' aircraft crashes during second test flight2025-04-02 16:26
The hashtag campaign saying 'Hear Me Out' about Ireland's abortion laws2025-04-02 16:10
YouTube testing free picture2025-04-02 16:04
'Deadpool 2' tries to have it both ways: Review2025-04-02 15:53
Researchers create temporary tattoos you can use to control your devices2025-04-02 15:35
Leslie Jones live2025-04-02 15:33
MashReads Podcast: What makes a good summer read?2025-04-02 18:17
'Brooklyn 99' Season 6 finds a surprise home with NBC2025-04-02 17:35
Deadpool's 'no spoilers' letter is as hilariously brutal as you'd expect2025-04-02 17:33
'Fortnite' crossover with 'Avengers' means one thing: Dancing Thanos2025-04-02 17:00
More than half of women in advertising have faced sexual harassment, report says2025-04-02 16:56
Report: Google working on Pixel2025-04-02 16:52
London unveils contactless payment system for buskers2025-04-02 15:55
Hawaii volcano eruption brings the state's worst earthquake in decades2025-04-02 15:55
Dog elected for third term as mayor of Minnesota town2025-04-02 15:32
Extreme 2016 Arctic heat wave stoked by climate change and low sea ice2025-04-02 15:32