Scripps National Spelling Bee 2014 resulted in a very rare ending on Thursday night. The Scripps National Spelling Bee 2014 had an exceptional impasse on Thursday night.
ESPN reports that as the bell rang signalling a misspelled word tolled for each of the final two contestants, it didn't exactly mean it was the end for both.
The last two spellers in the Scripps National Spelling Bee 2014 were Sriram Hathwar of Painted Post, New York and Ansun Sujoe of Fort Worth, Texas. They reportedly got wrong back-to-back words, which resulted in each giving a pardon towards the other.
In their final stand-off, the last two players of the Scripps National Spelling Bee 2014 apparently gave it all they had as they didn't commit a single mistake again. A dozen words followed after, and amazingly, both Hathwar and Sujoe became co-champions in the Scripps National Spelling Bee 2014. According to the Associated Press, the tie is the first in over 52 years.
After he and his co-champiopn were showered with confetti onstage, Hathwar said, "The competition was against the dictionary, not against each other. I'm happy to share this trophy with him.''
Sujoe afterwards said that he knew the word Hathwar got wrong. It was "corpsbruder,'' which meant "a close comrade." 14-year-old Hathwar meanwhile said that he was also familiar with the word that Sujoe got wrong. The word "antigropelos,'' which means "waterproof leggings," reportedly eliminated 13-year-old Sujoe's chance of a victory during that time in the Scripps National Spelling Bee 2014.
After both boys' misses on stage, they decided to stage an exciting duel. CNN reports that both boys went through the toughest words the bee had to offer. They were Skandhas, Hyblaean, Feijoada, Augenphilologie, Sdrucciola, Holluschick, Thyemelici, Paixtle, Encaenia and Terreplein. After that, only four of 25 championship words remained. Two reportedly had to be kept in reserve for the Scripps National Spelling Bee 2014 to not end with an incorrect spelling.
Hathwar's last word in the Scripps National Spelling Bee 2014 was stichomythia, meaning a theatrical term for dialogue representing an altercation and delivered in alternating lines. Hathwar rarely appeared anxious, as he nodded confidently whenever he got a word he knew.
Meanwhile, Sujoe was reportedly more nervous and demonstrative than Hathwar. Upon hearing "feuilleton,'' which means the features section of a European newspaper or magazine, Sujoe opened his mouth wide, grimaced and rolled his eyes. According to ESPN, as the stage lights turned red which signals he had 30 seconds left, he said, "Ah, whatever!'' and began to spell.
Both boys became the fourth co-champions in the Scripps National Spelling Bee 2014, the bee's 89-year history and the first since 1962. Both raised one trophy together onstage, however, each one will reportedly get the champion's haul of more than $33,000 in cash and prizes.
President Barack Obama also made a shoutout to both boys via the White House's Twitter feed. It said:
Congrats to Ansun and Sriram, the incredible co-champs of the #ScrippsNationalSpellingBee. You make us all proud! -bo
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 30, 2014
Scripps National Spelling Bee 2014 champions are both also Indian American. The past eight winners of the bee and 13 of the past 17 have been of Indian descent, reports the Associated Press.
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