For the third year in a row, the Scripps National Spelling Bee has ended with two champions.Nihar Janga, 11, of Austin, Texas, and Jairam Hathwar, 13, of Painted Post, N.Y., have been declared co-champions after fighting to a draw during 39 rounds of competition.
Jairam’s final word in the competition was “Feldenkrais,” a trademark that refers to a system of aided body movements.
Nihar stayed in the competition by correctly spelling “gesellschaft,” which refers to a type of social relationship.
The spellers will take home $40,000 in cash and other prizes.
Both Jairam and Nihar said they knew some of the words they were given and figured out the spelling of the rest.
Jairam is the younger brother of 2014 co-champion, Sriram Hathwar. He said the best advice he got from his brother was not to get too agitated if he was given a word he didn’t know. He plans on saving his winnings to pay for college.
Scripps National Spelling Bee Ends In Tie
