Never before in 93 editions of the popular competition
(ANSA) – ROME, JUL 09 – A fourteen-year-old from Louisiana won the national spelling tournament tonight, a very popular competition in the United States, and is the first African American girl to win the tournament, established in 1925. Before her, in 1998 , a girl representing Jamaica, Jody-Anne Maxwell, had won it. The first lady, Jill Biden, also attended the race, informs CNN.
Zaila Avant-garde of New Orleans was therefore the best ever at the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee 2021, held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida and for her acrobatic skill in spelling he will also receive a cash prize of $ 50,000.
The young woman documented her steps towards victory on Instagram, followed by over 14,000 followers, also impressed by her basketball skills, for which she also finished in the Guinness Book of Records with the most rebounds in a minute. “I think the more women’s successes and triumphs are promoted and publicized, the more likely other girls around the world will see that they can do whatever they want,” commented the victory in a video on social media.
The contest was attended by 209 competitors aged between 9 and 15, from five countries: the United States, Bahamas, Canada, Ghana and Japan, but only 11 had made it to the final. The event was canceled last year due to the pandemic, for the first time since World War II. (HANDLE).