Arvind Mahankali of Bayside Hills, N.Y., won the 2013 Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday. Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images
A 13-year-old Queens boy and his family are celebrating after he was named the winning champion of the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday night.
Arvind Mahankali won the coveted gold trophy after correctly spelling “knaidel” — a German-Yiddish term for a matzo dumpling.
Mahankali, who resides in Bayside Hills, said he is done competing in the national contest after this win. The M.S. 74 eighth grader finished in third place in the competition the last two years. German words “schwannoma” and “jugendstil” stumped him in those contests. [videoembed id=160331]
“It means I’m retiring on a good note,” Mahankali told The Daily News.
A total of 11 spellers were competing for $30,000 in cash and other prizes. Mahankali said he will save the money for college. He plans to attend Stuyvesant High School next year.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee was nationally televised on ESPN.
Mahankali was cheered on by his mother, father and 9-year-old brother, who says he wants to compete in the spelling bee next year, the News reports.
