Who is Harini Logan, the winner of Scripps National Spelling Bee 2022

Harini Logan won the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday after beating Indian-origin Vikram Raju. She is 14 years old. The two finalists engaged in the first-ever spelloff at the competition, fighting the fierce battle for the title.

Vikram Raju, the runner-up of the 2022 Spelling Bee, is a seventh-grader from Denver, Colorado.

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Who is Harini Logan?

Harini Logan, 14, is a resident of San Antonio, Texas and is a student at The Montessori School. 

Logan has previously participated in the Scripps National Spelling Bee but failed to make it past the top 30. She tied for 323rd place in 2018, tied for 30th place in 2019 tied for the 31st spot in 2021. The 2020 Spelling Bee was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Harini, the newly crowned Queen Bee, has interests beyond academics. She knows how to play the piano and is also training herself to play the ukulele.

According to the Spelling Bee website, Harini’s hobbies include swimming, acting, playing tennis, writing and signing. Musical theater tops the list of things she is interested in.

Harini was being coached by Grace Walters, a former speller, fellow Texan and a student at Rice University. Walters has previously coached multiple young Spelling Bee participants, four of whom have won.

Harini, while being presented the Spelling Bee trophy on Thursday night, was joined by her parents on stage. Her younger brother  Alexa was also present.

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Harini, one of the best-known spellers entering the bee and a crowd favorite for her poise and positivity, wins more than $50,000 in cash and prizes. She missed four words in a grueling standoff against Vikram Raju, including one that would have given her the title.

Harini entered the historic spelloff on Thursday after answering the following words correctly: Charadriiform, Ditalini, Tauromachian, and Sereh.