The 14-year-old student from Rancho Cucamonga, California, who won the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday night said he is glad he didn't give up after previous 89th and third place finishes and missing the event last year due to sickness.
"It honestly feels amazing," Shrey Parikh said in a live interview Friday on "Good Morning America." "I'm just so glad that I didn’t give up when everything was not good last year, and I’m glad I saw it through to the end and had perseverance and kept going because it all paid off."
Shrey, who is in the eighth grade, won the competition in a dramatic final spell-off that saw him correctly spell 32 words in 90 seconds.
He said his method of preparing for the spelling bee -- typing out words -- helped him win the lightning-round tiebreaker against his fellow finalist, Ishan Gupta.
"I prepared mostly by typing, so usually that involved trying to get through as many words as I could in a day," Shrey said. "The spell-off kind of came naturally because it kind of aligned with my practice and it was good for me, in that way, that I had the practice to help me do well in the spell-off."
With his total of 32 words, Shrey broke a spell-off record, according to Scripps. His winning word was bromocriptine.
Shrey previously competed in the national bee in 2022 and tied for third place in 2024. The 2026 bee marked his final year of eligibility.
"I am feeling a mix of excitement and relief," he said on "GMA." "I’m just so glad that I won the bee. It’s been something I’ve been looking forward to for a really long time."
Along with the championship trophy, Shrey also took home more than $50,000 in cash and prizes for his win.
This year's competition, held at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., featured a total of 247 spellers between the ages of 9 and 15, representing all 50 states, U.S. territories and several countries.
The students earned spots at the national competition after advancing through regional spelling bees across the country.
ESPN analyst and "Celebrity Jeopardy!" winner Mina Kimes served as the bee's host this year alongside Paul Loeffler, a former national competitor who marked his 20th year as a bee analyst.
The competition this year also featured a new production team led by Michael Davies, executive producer of "Jeopardy!" and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
