Both the Kansas City and St. Louis metro areas have a claim to this year’s national spelling bee title.
For the second straight year, the Scripps National Spelling Bee ended with co-champions each holding one side of the golden trophy while being showered with confetti. Vanya Shivashankar and Gokul Venkatachalam were the last two standing yesterday after exhausting the 25 words reserved for the final three spellers without stumbling.
Shivashanka is from Olathe, Kansas and Venkatashalam is from Chesterfield, Missouri. Before last year, there hadn't been a tie since 1962.