California teen wins US Spelling Bee with 'bromocriptine'

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Washington DC: California teenager Shrey Parikh won the 98th annual Scripps US National Spelling Bee on Thursday night, completing a journey from local disqualification to national glory. 

The 14-year-old eighth-grader from Rancho Cucamonga secured the prestigious title during a high-stakes, 90-second lightning-round spell-off, where he correctly spelled a record-shattering 32 words rapid-fire to claim the $52,500 grand cash prize.

The tournament organizers later confirmed that the complex medical term ‘bromocriptine’ a specialized polypeptide alkaloid that mimics dopamine activity served as the definitive championship-winning word.

 Parikh narrowly outpaced 12-year-old runner-up Ishaan Gupta of New Jersey, who successfully spelled 25 words under identical tiebreaker constraints after both survived 18 intense rounds of flawless oral spelling.

This crowning achievement marks an emotional redemption for Parikh, who placed third in 2024 but was shockingly eliminated at his own middle school bee last year while battling a fever. His victory maintains a historic trend, making him the 31st champion of Indian heritage to win the title over the last 37 tournaments.