He edged out 14-year-old Sarvadnya Kadam, from Visalia, California, who finished in second place after misspelling “Uaupes,“ a tributary of the Rio Negro in South America, in the 20th round.
He did so in round 21 by instantly and precisely spelling “eclaircissement” - defined as a clearing up of something obscure. He surprised the audience by giving his answer without taking the customary pause afforded contestants to ask the judges for more information about the word’s origins, meaning and pronunciation.
Asked what he would do next, Zaki replied, “I’m probably going to stay up the entire night or something.”
But his two fellow finalists at that point, including Kadam, likewise fumbled their words, leading to a 19th round in which all three boys returned, but only two - Zaki and Kadam - survived to face off in the decisive 20th round.
Thursday’s total roster of nine finalists emerged from three days of competition at a convention center outside Washington, D.C., among 243 contestants aged eight to 14 who advanced from regional competitions across the country.
The Scripps media group has sponsored the event since 1925, with three years off during World War Two and one more for the COVID pandemic in 2020.
Most competitors were from the United States, coming from all 50 states. Other spellers came from Canada, the Bahamas, Germany, Ghana, Kuwait, Nigeria, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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