Dev Shah, of Indian origin, secured a remarkable victory in the esteemed 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee. By accurately spelling the 11-letter word “psammophile,” Dev earned a coveted cash prize of $50,000.Dev, who had prior experience competing in the 2019 and 2021 editions of the event, is now being hailed as the 22nd champion of the Spelling Bee within the last 24 years to have a South Asian heritage, according to reports.Expressing his astonishment, the 14-year-old boy from Florida stated, “It feels surreal. My legs are still trembling,” while participating in the competition held in Maryland, United States.Image: TwitterCharlotte Walsh, a 14-year-old from Virginia, secured the second position.Dev emerged as the champion by spelling the word Psammophile, which Merriam-Webster defines as an organism that flourishes in sandy regions.As they stepped onto the stage, his parents displayed visible emotions.Dev stood out as one of the eleven finalists selected from a pool of approximately eleven million participants worldwide. The preliminary rounds commenced on Tuesday, followed by the quarterfinals and semi-finals held on Wednesday.And the winning word is: A 14-year-old from Florida wins the National Spelling Bee – Dev Shah won by correctly spelling psammophile, a noun that is used to describe animals and plants that prefer to live in sandy soil environments via NPR https://t.co/jnAo8Knm8T— Olav Mitchell Underdal (@omunderdal) June 2, 2023 Indian-Americans have consistently excelled in the National Spelling Bee, an annual competition that has been running since 1925 and is open to students up to the eighth grade. Although the Spelling Bee was cancelled in 2020, it made a comeback in 2021 with a few modifications.Image: TwitterLast year, Harini Logan, an eighth-grade student from Texas, emerged as the victor by defeating fellow Indian-American contestant Vikram Raju.
