Inland Empire middle schooler among top finalists in Scripps Spelling Bee

OXON HILL, Md. (KABC) -- A 12-year-old from the Inland Empire was one of the top finishers in Thursday's Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Shrey Parikh, who attends Day Creek Intermediate School in Rancho Cucamonga, finished tied for third in the challenging national competition.

He was eliminated when he incorrectly spelled the word kanin, a type of boiled rice in the Philippines.

Head judge Mary Brooks offered kind comments to Shrey, praising how well his family supported him.

"I know the self-drive you have, and that is going to serve you well all the rest of your life," she said, according to the Washington Post.

Shrey lists his interests as reading, playing tennis and chess. The word he spelled correctly to get into the final round was alstonine, a type of chemical compound.

The video in the media player above is from a previous report on the spelling bee.

The winner of the competition was Bruhat Soma, a 12-year-old from Tampa, Florida. He spelled 29 words correctly in the final tiebreaking spell-off, beating 2nd place finisher Faizan Zaki by nine. He receives a trophy and more than $50,000 in cash and prizes.

Shortly after Bruat was showered with confetti and handed the trophy, Faizan was in tears at the side of the stage, accepting hugs from other spellers. A few minutes earlier, he had hugged his good friend, Shrey Parikh, after Shrey was eliminated onstage.

Shrey and Faizan are close friends with Bruhat, and all three are tutored by 16-year-old former speller Sam Evans.

"I'm not really surprised that any of my students have made it this far. I know that they are all prepared. They have what it takes to win, all of them," Evans said.

The bee began with eight finalists, the fewest since 2010.

Despite some surprising eliminations in the semifinals, the eight finalists were the usual impressive group - albeit on the young side. Only three were eighth-graders in their final year of eligibility: 13-year-old Kirsten Tiffany Santos of Richmond, Texas; 14-year-old Rishabh Saha of Merced, California; and 13-year-old Aditi Muthukumar of Westminster, Colorado.

The rest were in sixth or seventh grade: Shrey Parikh; 12-year-old Faizan Zaki of Allen, Texas; 12-year-old YY Liang of Hartsdale, New York; and 13-year-old Ananya Prassana of Apex, North Carolina.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.