Fourteen-year-old Zaila Avant-garde on Thursday night became the first African American to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The big picture: Avant-garde's winning word was "murraya." First lady Jill Biden attended this year's finals, which were held in Orlando, Florida, after the coronavirus pandemic canceled last year's bee.
- The only previous Black winner in the event's 96-year history is Jody-Anne Maxwell of Jamaica, who won in 1998.
- Avant-garde, who is from New Orleans and holds several Guinness world records for dribbling basketballs, wants to someday play in the WNBA, according to AP.
- Chaitra Thummala, a 12-year-old from San Francisco, came in second place. Bhavana Madini, a 13-year-old from New York City, placed third.
It was the smile and twirls for us! After tying for 370th place in 2019, #Speller133 Zaila Avant-garde wins the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
— Scripps National Spelling Bee (@ScrippsBee) July 9, 2021
Congrats to all of our spellers. We're proud of everyone's poise and courage in facing the dictionary. #SpellingBee #TheBeeIsBack pic.twitter.com/wHfYeU4CNl