In only the second spelling contest in the history of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Bruhat Soma blissfully spelt 29 words correctly in 90 seconds, including heautophany, nachschläge and puszta.
Burhat's spelling-off sprint on Thursday night earned him the tournament's trophy, the Scripps Cup, and the first-place prize of $50,000. He beat the previous record held by his rival, Faizan Zaki, a sixth-grader from Dallas, who correctly spelled 20 words, and also surpassed the tournament's 2022 spelling-off record of 22 words correct, tournament officials said.
After his stunning victory, the 12-year-old from Tampa, Florida, stood in shock as confetti fell onto the stage floor around him.
“Winning has been my goal all year,” the seventh-grader said. “I can't even put it into words. I'm so thrilled.”
Bruhat was on a mission to hoist the Scripps Cup over his head after losing in the first round of the quarterfinals last year in a tie for 74th place. “I was pretty disappointed with my performance. I knew I had to work harder,” he said in a recorded interview that aired during the show.
He also competed in 2022 and finished tied for 163rd.
Bruhat's first word of the night was “habit,” which means “a person's usual disposition, mode of behavior, or procedure.” He steadily conquered words like “Okvik,” an Alaskan place name, and the Dutch word “hoofddorp” as the competition became more intense and difficult. He remained calm on stage and rarely showed signs of nervousness, often mulling over his words as he mock-typed letters in the air.
After winning, Blue Hat was joined on stage by his parents and two siblings, who expressed their pride and joy in his achievement.
In a recorded interview that aired during the show, Bruhat, who is tall for his age, said he also likes basketball. His favorite athlete is LeBron James, according to his profile on the Scripps National Spelling Bee website. He also likes reading, ping pong and badminton, and plays the snare drum in his middle school band.
During his competitions, he wore a vermilion tika, a Hindu symbol of strength and purity, on his forehead, and according to his parents, Bruhat had memorized about 80 percent of the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu holy book.
Emily Schmal, Maggie Astor and Emmett Lindner Contributed report.