(NewsNation) — Bruhat Soma, a seventh grader from St. Petersburg, Florida, took the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee crown in just the second “spell-off” in the competition’s history.
The 12-year-old blitzed through 30 words in 90 seconds Thursday night, and judges determined that he spelled 29 of them correctly — nine more than his competitor, Faizan Zaki.
As the champion, Soma receives a trophy and more than $50,000 in cash and prizes.
“I’m probably going to donate it because there’s a lot of people that have less privileges than me, and I want them to feel better too,” Soma told “Morning in America.”
Soma rehearsed the spell-off every day for six months. He told “Morning in America” he’s looking forward to a summer of rest and basketball practice after the win.
“I’m just gonna relax, I guess, because it’s the summer and practice and basketball,” he said. “I’m gonna just practice a bit more in general.”
Soma said he aspires to be a doctor when he’s older.