After three years of studying, it took Dev Shah about 45 seconds to reach the apotheosis of his craft and become the national champion on Thursday night.
At 14, Marie C. Bolden became the champion of what is believed to be the first national spelling competition in the United States. Her victory prompted a backlash.
An eighth grader from San Antonio, Harini returned to the finals with a reinstatement, kept pace in a drawn-out duel with Vikram Raju, and spelled 21 words correctly in the final 90 seconds.