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Eighth-grader wins Wisconsin state spelling bee for 4th straight year

MADISON, Wis. — For the fourth consecutive year, spell her as “champion.”

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Maya Jadhav, an eighth-grader from Fitchburg, Wisconsin, will represent the state at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. Jadhav won her fourth consecutive Badger State Spelling Bee on Saturday, defeating 54 other spellers in grades four through eight.

Jadhav won by correctly spelling the word “obrotund” in the 25th round. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of “obrotund” is “nearly spherical but with one diameter slightly exceeding the others.”

The newspaper sponsored the competition, which was held at Madison Area Technical College’s Mitby Theatre. The Badger State Spelling Bee was first held in 1949, the State Journal reported. The National Spelling Bee was started in 1925 by the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Jadhav, from Vishva Home School in Fitchburg, needed 25 rounds before winning the event. In addition to winning the competition for the fourth straight year, Jadhav finished third statewide in 2018 as a fourth-grader, The Associated Press reported.

“I feel great. I worked hard and I’m really happy,” Jadhav told the State Journal. “I’m really excited. This year is just to have fun. It’s my last year, so I’m just going to study and try to have fun (at the Scripps National Spelling Bee).”

Aiden Wijeyakulasuriya, of Madison, finished second. He and Jadhav dueled for 15 rounds, correctly spelling words such as “ocotillo,” “persiflage” and “etagere,” the State Journal reported.

Other words included “Disneyfication,” “turken,” “Oceanian,” “superlative,” “interrogative,” “phenotype,” “shoji” and “umami,” the newspaper reported.

Jadhav was unable to travel to the national competition in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the State Journal. The 2020 national bee was canceled, and the 2021 competition was held virtually, the newspaper reported.

Jadhav finished in 12th place at the 2021 national bee, reaching the ninth round before being eliminated. Last year’s event featured first lady Jill Biden.

“I’m amazed at what Maya has done, and it’s never an easy thing. She really works hard,” Nitin Jadhav, Maya’s father, told the State Journal. “This is her last year, eighth grade, so she has this last chance to go to D.C. She’s looking forward to it, and I’m happy for her. ... It’s like she takes us on adventures every year.”