Indian-American Faizan Zaki wins 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee
New York, May 30 (PTI): Faizan Zaki, a 13-year-old Indian-American student from Texas, has won the Scripps National Spelling Bee after he spelt “éclaircissement” correctly, maintaining the dominance of the children from the community in the prestigious US competition.
Zaki will take home USD 50,000, a medal and a trophy as he won the Spelling Bee in its 100th year.
Zaki bested Sarvadnya Kadam to win the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday night.
The 13-year-old took home the Scripps Cup outspelling more than 240 students from across the country, Scripps said in a post on X.
A 7th-grade student at C M Rice Middle School, Zaki finished second in 2024 in a spell-off to another Indian-American Bruhat Soma.
This was Zaki’s fourth time participating in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Zaki earned the prestigious title in round 21 when he correctly spelt “éclaircissement,” which is defined as “the clearing up of something obscure: enlightenment.”
He outlasted eight other accomplished spellers to win the title.
The culmination of the national championship came with a shock. Zaki had an earlier chance to win this year’s bee, in the 18th round, after mistakes by two other finalists.
In what could have been the last round, when there were three left, Sarvadnya Kadam and Sarv Dharavane got their words wrong.
It seemed to be Zaki’s big chance. But he rushed to spell his word before a proper explanation and got the first letter wrong.
Hardly before the word “commelina” had left the pronouncer’s mouth, Zaki jumped on it, saying, “k-a-m ——”
He recognised his mistake right away, but it was too late.
As he spelt the winning word, Zaki fell on the stage in joy as confetti rained down. “I don’t know what to say. I’m just really happy,” he said.
Organisers congratulated Zaki's parents and his grandparents, who were watching the competition from their home in Hyderabad.
“I can’t describe it,” Zaki said minutes later. “It’s so amazing, getting to this point. Winning? I never expected this.”
Adam Symson, president and CEO of the E W Scripps Company, presented the championship trophy.
“Faizan exemplified the determination that defines a champion,” said Symson. His unwavering focus and preparation led to a well-earned victory tonight on the Bee’s largest stage, he said.
“In this landmark 100th year of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Scripps is honoured to celebrate Faizan’s extraordinary achievement as well as the spellers throughout the Bee’s history who continue to inspire millions,” he said.
The first Spelling Bee competition was held in 1925 in Washington, DC, and only nine kids participated, according to Scripps. This year, more than 200 students competed.
Zaki is only the fifth speller in Bee history to win after coming in second place the year before. He tied for 21st place in 2023 and 370th place in 2019.
Zaki will take home USD 50,000, a medal and a trophy. He will receive a USD 2,500 prize and a reference library from the Bee’s dictionary partner Merriam-Webster.
Kadam of Visalia, California, placed second in the competition and will receive USD 25,000.
Dharavane of Dunwoody, Georgia, will receive USD 15,000.
Thirty of the past 36 champions, including Zaki, of the Scripps National Spelling Bee have been Indian American.
Nupur Lala was the first Indian-American to win the competition in 1999.
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Man chased, brutally stabbed inside public toilet in northwest Delhi; one arrested; juvenile held
New Delhi (PTI): An alleged road rage incident took a fatal turn when a 27-year-old factory worker was chased down by assailants and stabbed multiple times inside a public toilet in northwest Delhi's Ashok Vihar area, police said on Thursday.
According to police, the incident took place on Wednesday night, when witnesses saw the victim, Santosh Kumar, running into a public toilet in a desperate bid to save his life, with his attackers hot on his heels.
"A PCR call was received at 6:23 pm on April 8 regarding a man being stabbed inside the compound of a Sulabh Sauchalaya located at the fish market in Wazirpur Industrial Area," a senior police officer said.
A police team rushed to the spot and found the victim lying in a pool of blood inside the toilet premises. The victim, originally from Nepal, was residing in Macchi Market area, the official said.
Preliminary inquiry revealed that the incident stemmed from an altercation between the victim and a motorcycle rider. The verbal spat soon escalated into a physical scuffle, during which the accused, along with an associate, allegedly attacked Santosh with a knife.
Police sources said in a desperate attempt to save himself, the injured victim ran towards the nearby public toilet and tried to latch the door from inside. Eyewitness accounts suggest he tried to take refuge inside the public toilet and shut the door to prevent his attackers from entering. However, he was chased down, overpowered, and stabbed multiple times.
Santosh collapsed on the spot, where he later succumbed to his injuries, police said.
A case under sections 103(1) (murder) and 3(5) (common intentions) was registered at Ashok Vihar police station and an investigation was taken up.
During the probe, police arrested one accused identified as Tanish (19), a resident of CSA Colony in Macchi Market area, and apprehended a juvenile allegedly involved in the incident.
Police said the motorcycle used by the accused, which they had abandoned while fleeing after the attack, was recovered near the crime scene.
Family members and acquaintances of the deceased expressed shock over the killing. Santosh's uncle, who reached the spot after being informed, recounted the scene.
"When I came here, I saw him lying on the floor, dead. I noticed that he had been stabbed twice. I am not aware of what exactly happened. He was just 27 years old and used to work in a steel company with me. I don't know how many people were involved in the attack. We are from Nepal, and I have been working here for 15 years. I think he was stabbed outside and later came inside the toilet to save himself. There was a bike outside which I think belonged to the attackers," he said.
Police said the motive behind the crime appears to be road rage -- a sudden and heated altercation on the road that spiralled into a violent assault resulting in the victim's death.
Efforts are underway to identify and apprehend any other persons involved in the attack. Police teams are analysing CCTV footage from the surrounding area and examining local witnesses to piece together the sequence of events.
