Zaila Avant-garde won the Scripps National Spelling Bee, taking home the top prize of $50,000. She also holds several Guinness World Records for her basketball dribbling skills.
Zaila Avant-garde is the first Black contestant to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 1998Image: John Raoux/AP/picture alliance
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Zaila Avant-garde on Thursday became the first Black American champion in the 96-year history of the Scripps National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling the word "Murraya."
The 14-year-old was also the second Black winner of the contest; the only other being Jody-Anne Maxwell of Jamaica in 1998, who was also the only winner from outside the United States.
By correctly spelling "Murraya," a genus of small trees, she claimed the top prize of $50,000 (€42,240).
Avant-garde's victory was ground-breaking in a competition that has been recently dominated by contestants of South Asian heritage. At least one champion or co-champion since 2008 has Indian-origin.
Near miss on 'Nepeta'
A stumble in the previous round, where she struggled with another botanical word, "Nepeta," nearly cost her the championship. But she remained calm, paused for a moment, collected herself and started again — this time getting the second "e" right.
Avant-garde jumped with joy after being told she was correct.
"I've always struggled with that word," she later said. "I even knew it was a genus of plants. I know what you are, and I can't get you."
Past accomplishments
Avant-garde from Harvey, Louisiana is also an accomplished basketball player who hopes to one day play in the WNBA.
She holds three holds Guinness World Records for dribbling multiple balls simultaneously.
Avant-garde told the Associated Press she hoped to inspire other Black Americans who often didn't have the money to pay for tutorials needed to remain competitive.
"I'm hoping that within the next few years, I can see a little bit of an influx of African Americans, and (there were) not many Hispanic people, either, so I'm hoping to see them there, too,'' she said.
Zaila Avant-Garde won the final round by correctly spelling the word, 'Murraya'Image: John Raoux/AP/picture alliance
New rules
This year's competition was different from the previous ones, due to the coronavirus pandemic which led to the cancellation of last year's spelling bee.
It also had new rules meant to avoid multiple co-winners, like the eight "octa-champs" of 2019.
Five of the 11 finalists were eliminated in the first round.
Chaitra Thummala, 12, of San Francisco, came in second, winning $25,000, while Bhavana Madini, 13, of New York finished third with the $15,000 prize.
Gamescom: Gaming giants too must adapt or die
The world's largest computer games trade show is drawing huge crowds in Cologne. Trends, including streaming and immersive technologies, are disrupting the market, possibly spelling the end for the games console.
Image: Getty Images/L. Schulze
Long queues for a sneak peak
Hundreds of thousands of gamers have descended on Cologne again for Gamescom. The eager ones were queuing up to a day ahead of the opening on Wednesday. Last year about 370,000 people visited the trendy trade show and organizers expect a record number of visitors this year. With 1,150 exhibitors from more than 50 countries, fans can get a sneak peak at the latest games offerings.
Image: Getty Images/L. Schulze
Half of Germany has sore thumbs
One out of two Germans play games on mobile phone, consoles or PCs, according to Games, the German games industry association. The growth of the sector has been remarkable: in the first half of 2019, sales in Germany rose by 11% to €2.8 billion ($3.1 billion). Only about 4% of that revenue, however, came from games developed at home.
Image: Getty Images/L. Schulze
Innovation boost
Politicians, including Minister of Transport and Digital Affairs Andreas Scheuer, have promised to boost German game production. The Cologne trade fair after all showcases "tomorrow's innovations," he said. In 2019, game developers received €50 million in state funding, and Scheuer has said he plans to make sure the financial support continues.
Image: picture-alliance/G.Ortmann
Highly-anticipated space shooter teased
"Everspace 2" was given a sneak preview at Gamescom, although fans will hate to wait until 2021 for its full release. A trailer for the openworld space combat game went down a storm as well as teasers for the interactive thriller "Erica" from Sony and the upcoming releases of "Gears 5" and "Borderlands 3."
Cloud gaming is a major topic at this year's Gamescom. Microsoft presented its Project xCloud which unlocks device restrictions on games. Other big players like Google want to stream the best-known games. In future, even the most elaborately-designed games may no longer need expensive hardware. In Germany, however, the lack of fast internet in some areas will be a major sticking point.
Image: Getty Images/I. Fassbender
Are gaming consoles dead?
Nintendo's Wii revolutionalized gaming when it was released in 2006 around fitness and interactivity. A new generation of consoles are set to be previewed at Gamescom including Sony's PlayStation 5 and the new Microsoft Xbox (Scarlett). Both consoles are due for release next year. Industry observers suspect the age of the console is coming to an end, but the big manufacturers are still bullish.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/W. Grubitzsch
Immersion tools are all the rage
The rise of smartphone gaming hasn't hurt the market for computers and monitors. Outside of North America, sales of gaming hardware grew 15% worldwide in the first half of 2019 compared to last year, according to the market research firm GfK. Curved monitors are the current must-have gadget for any serious gamer, as they help users to fully immerse themselves in the action.
Image: Reuters/W. Rattay
Digital sports taken seriously
Germany's Olympic Sports Confederation has yet to recognize digital competitions as sports. But that hasn't harmed their protests. In Germany, e-sports grew revenues by 22% to €62.5 million last year, according to the consulting firm PwC. Another key source of income is sponsorship. Germany ranks fourth worldwide behind the USA, South Korea and China with its promotional earnings.
Image: picture-alliance/imageBROKER/mirafoto
No Gamescom without dressing up
Cosplay (Costume Play) is of course a completely analogue hobby but nevertheless indispensable at every Gamescom. As in previous years, contests will be held for the best costumes. One popular trend from Japan is to try to emulate a character from a manga (comic), film or video game as true to the original as possible.
