Arvind Mahankali was finally able to defeat his German nemesis on Thursday and become the champion speller of 2013.
The 13-year-old spelled “knaidel” for the win, a German word meaning a small mass of dough. Mahankali demonstrated brainpower, composure, and vocabulary knowledge in order to win the 86th Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Mahankali finished 3rd two years in a row in both 2011 and 2012. Each time, he was eliminated on German derived Yiddish words. The crowd, knowing this all too well, joined Mahankali in cheers and groans as he spelled the final word with ease.
“The German curse has turned into a German blessing,” he said.
