B-R-A-V-O: Leander Student Named Co-Champion Of National Spelling Bee

LEANDER, TX -- Leander ISD fifth-grader Nihar Janga was named co-champion of the 2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee Thursday, emerging as one of the youngest champs in the history of the competition.

River Ridge Elementary student Janga, 11, faced off against 13-year-old Jairam Hathwar, a seventh-grader who attends the Alternative School for Math and Science in Painted Post, N.Y. The boys were the last two spellers standing in the 89th annual version of the celebrated bee.

Both in a live stream of the intense competition as well as a Twitter play-by-play of correct words spelled by each contender scrolling across the page with each correct response, it was a thrilling contest to witness.

By the 24th round, both champs correctly spelled their final words to share the trophy. Janga's victory came when he correctly spelled gesellschaft.

Before that, Janga -- nicknamed "The Machine" during the competition, correctly spelled words like bailliage, euchologion, promyshlennik and others that we may or may not know how to spell ourselves.

The live stream yielded some tense moments for the hometown boy when he was unable to out-spell his rival in one round, misspelling ayacahuite and tetradrachm yet saved when his rival also stumbled. Ultimately, both boys emerged as co-champions.

A sideline reporter asked Janga to describe his mental state during the competition. Despite having been surrounded with myriad words before and during competition, they failed him as the reporter thrust the microphone in his direction for comment.

"I'm just speechless; I can't say anything," he said. "I mean, I'm just in fifth grade," drawing laughter from the crowd.

Janga will return to Texas a hometown hero at River Ridge Elementary, located in the Steiner Ranch neighborhood.

By the way, gesellschaft is defined as "social relations based on impersonal ties, as duty to a society or organization," But you already knew this, of course.

>>> Photo via Twitter