Tears were shed, high-fives exchanged and victory poses struck at the dramatic conclusion to the 2012 Spelling Bee finals Thursday evening, with Snigdha Nandipati, a 14-year-old California native, crowned the winner after effortlessly spelling "guetapens," a French-derived term for "ambush."
"I knew it, I'd seen it before," Snigdha, still in a visible state of disbelief after her victory, said of the word that ultimately won her first place at the contest in Maryland — and nearly $40,000 (¥3.1 million) in combined prize money.
Haruka Masuda, 12, an avid reader and future U.N.-aspirant, was Japan's sole representative at the event, after winning The Japan Times Spelling Bee in March to advance to the global stage. She was unable to reach the semifinals.