04 June,2011 08:00 AM IST | | Agencies
Sukanya Roy, a 14-year-old girl from Pennsylvania won the 2011 US National Spelling Bee by spelling the word cymotrichous.
Roy took top prize in the 84th annual US National Spelling Bee after she saw off her competitors over 20 rounds of on-the-spot spelling at the final in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
Sukanya Roy saw off 20 rounds of competition to lift the trophy in her third appearance at the US National Spelling Bee
After winning, the teenager, who was competing in her third championships, was shaking with excitement.
"My heart started pounding, I guess. I couldn't believe it," Roy told reporterts immediately after receiving her trophy.
The winning word, cymotrichous, is an adjective relating to having wavy hair. Roy, who also speaks fluent Bengali, said she knew the word immediately.
"I just wanted to spell it right," she said. "I really didn't want to get it wrong."
Besides the trophy, the champion speller took home a $30,000 (Rs 13.44 lakh) cash prize and other prizes.u00a0
