13-year-old Muslim boy from Texas wins Scripps National Spelling Bee
13-year-old Muslim boy from Texas wins Scripps National Spelling Bee
Faizan is the 17th National Spelling Bee champion from Texas
Faizan is the 17th National Spelling Bee champion from Texas
Faizan Zaki, a 13-year-old Muslim from Dallas, Texas, performing an Islamic supplication prayer called dua while onstage at the Scripps National Spelling Bee Championship in the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland on Thursday, May 29, 2025. [Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images]
Faizan Zaki, a 13-year-old Muslim from Dallas, Texas, performing an Islamic supplication prayer called dua while onstage at the Scripps National Spelling Bee Championship in the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland on Thursday, May 29, 2025. [Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images]
He had a panic attack onstage as he correctly spelled the word “éclaircissement.”
Right after, Faizan Zaki, a 13-year-old Muslim of Indian descent from Dallas, Texas, was declared the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. It was the 100th anniversary of the event.
“I was just so excited and, like, after I spoke my word at the end, when I spoke my word, I was kind of losing breath,” Faizan explained on the ABC show Good Morning America on Friday. “Those last couple of letters, I was gasping for air.”
After spelling the word correctly, he collapsed on the stage in joy.
While on the show, Faizan explained for months he spent hours on weekdays preparing for the competition, even going so far as to study up to eight hours on weekends, his eyes glued to a dictionary.
He almost lost the competition however, as two words before the final round he misspelled the word “commelina” by starting off with “K-A-M.”
Despite the stress of the competition, Faizan came back and beat the remaining two competitors with a surprisingly casual demeanor, explaining that he’s been in the national spelling bee for years.
“I’ve been at this for seven years so at this point I’m not really that nervous,” he said. “I’m definitely confident but not overconfident.
This year’s National Spelling Bee had over 240 competitors, and Faizan is Texas’ 17th champion, according to The Washington Post.
He had a panic attack onstage as he correctly spelled the word “éclaircissement.”
Right after, Faizan Zaki, a 13-year-old Muslim of Indian descent from Dallas, Texas, was declared the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. It was the 100th anniversary of the event.
“I was just so excited and, like, after I spoke my word at the end, when I spoke my word, I was kind of losing breath,” Faizan explained on the ABC show Good Morning America on Friday. “Those last couple of letters, I was gasping for air.”
After spelling the word correctly, he collapsed on the stage in joy.
While on the show, Faizan explained for months he spent hours on weekdays preparing for the competition, even going so far as to study up to eight hours on weekends, his eyes glued to a dictionary.
He almost lost the competition however, as two words before the final round he misspelled the word “commelina” by starting off with “K-A-M.”
Despite the stress of the competition, Faizan came back and beat the remaining two competitors with a surprisingly casual demeanor, explaining that he’s been in the national spelling bee for years.
“I’ve been at this for seven years so at this point I’m not really that nervous,” he said. “I’m definitely confident but not overconfident.
This year’s National Spelling Bee had over 240 competitors, and Faizan is Texas’ 17th champion, according to The Washington Post.
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