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Zaila Avant-garde wins this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee

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Posted at 8:09 PM, Jul 08, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-09 08:53:19-04

Zaila Avant-garde is this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee champion.

The 8th grader from Louisiana spelled the word murraya correctly to win.

According to the Associated Press, Avant-garde, 14, is a basketball prodigy who holds three Guinness World Records for dribbling multiple balls simultaneously.

When it came down to the final three, they were all girls: Avant-garde, Chaitra Thummala, and Bhavana Madini.

Avant-garde is the first homeschooler to win the coveted prize since 2000.

She is the first Black student from America and the first winner from Louisiana to be crowned.

Avant-garde won a $50,000 cash prize, a commemorative medal, and the Scripps Cup.