In awe of S.A. student’s winning way with words
Articles from USA Today and Washington Post after the 94th Scripps National Spelling Bee stated the winner was from Texas. And that is true, but if we had a bell in that moment, we would have used it.
We'll say it here: Harini Logan of San Antonio is the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion!
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg celebrated via Twitter: “Huge CONGRATULATIONS to the 2022 Scripps National #Spellingbee Champion, Harini Logan. Harini is the first San Antonio student to advance to the final round in the history of @Scrippsbee. Way to represent our city!”
Before the competition, Nirenberg made a good luck call to Harini, a poised 14-year-old eighth grader who recently graduated from the Montessori School of San Antonio and earned a full scholarship to Saint Mary's Hall.
Harini was eliminated over a multiple-choice vocabulary question but was reinstated. After incorrectly spelling several words — we won't attempt to repeat them — Harini and the second-place winner, Vikram Raju, entered the spell-off, the first in the bee's 93-year history.
She correctly spelled 22 of 26 words in 90 seconds — that's one every 4.1 seconds. If she took a breath, we didn't notice. Watch the video clip on Facebook.
Harini worked hard for the Scripps Cup. She's competed in spelling bees
since she was a fourth grader. This is her fourth time competing in the national spelling bee.
“She became a word detective,” her father, Logan Anjaneyulu, told us after her big win as she juggled interviews. Harini has practiced an average of five hours a day for years, he said.
“Being the champion of Scripps is like being the Lebron James of basketball,” he said. “Even if you're gifted with skill, to be the greatest requires a tremendous amount of effort and practice.”
Congratulations, Harini Logan! You make San Antonio proud.