Navneeth Murali, Speller 279 and a New Jersey sixth grader, was eliminated on "gelinotte," a European woodland grouse related to the American ruffed grouse. A slew of spellers followed him to the edge of the stage to congratulate him on his good work.
Navneeth was competing for the first year, but he has been studying hard.
“It's more than memorizing words,” he said. “I like understanding them.”
Navneeth plays Indian classical music to help him feel serene and was excited to be on ESPN.
“I can see my hard work's paying off,” he said.
He credited God and his parents with getting him to this point.
Navneeth said he likes the word “cwm” because it shows that even small words can be complicated.
“It teaches me how to deal with success and failures, how to be calm in front of huge crowds,” he said. “It's definitely one of the happiest moments of my life.”
