14-Year-Old Makes History As First Black American To Win National Spelling Bee

Updated September 8, 2021

At any time, there's a good chance that somebody somewhere in the world is pulling off an impressive physical feat. Whether it takes incredible strength or the kind of dexterity that reminds me of Spider-Man, I can only stand impressed and think, "Nope, I can't do that" when I seem them pull off a stunt that somehow seems effortless to them.

And of course, there are others that can show an intimidating level of intelligence when they put their heads to a seemingly unsolvable problem or an intense competition.

But while both of these types are certainly impressive, those who have mastered both their bodies and their minds in incredible ways can seem almost superhuman.

And while I would normally use a master of chess boxing as an example of someone with this kind of uncanny ability, it seems that one girl from Louisiana has already conquered some major physical and mental challenges by the age of 14.

On July 8, Zaila Avant-garde of New Orleans spelled the final word she needed to claim the top prize at the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

As CNN reported, she is the first African-American contestant between the age of nine and 15 to do so since the Spelling Bee began in 1925.

Although Jody-Anne Maxwell earned the title for the competition's first Black winner in 1998, she did so representing Jamaica.

And the word that clinched the competition for Zaila was "murraya," a type of flowering plant like the one you see here.

Wikimedia Commons | ZSM

But according to CNN, her path to victory was dotted by similarly obscure and sometimes even more intimidating words such as "querimonious," "solidungulate," and "Nepeta."

This final word proved a particular challenge for Zaila, as the otherwise seemingly unshakable teen jumped for joy after spelling it correctly.

For her big win, Zaila will receive a $50,000 cash prize.

And judging by her Instagram page in which she shows off various other spelling bee trophies — including back to back wins in the New Orleans regional bee — it's clear that this big win was a long time coming.

And even more amazingly, this comes just a year after she nabbed a completely different major achievement.

That's because in March of 2020, Zaila set a Guinness World Record for bounce juggling three basketballs in one minute.

And if you're wondering what bounce juggling is, here's the teen herself demonstrating how it's done from a unicycle.

According to the Guinness World Records committee, she began practicing her impressive dribbling skills at the age of five and dreams of being in the WNBA one day.

In her words, "I think the more that the achievements and triumphs of women are promoted and publicized, the more likely it is that other girls all around the world will see that they can do any and everything that they put their minds to."

h/t: CNN

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