By Patrick Baron
BLOOMINGTON – The 2018 National Spelling Bee Champion, who used to live and attend school in the Twin Cities, visited the WJBC Studio this afternoon.
Karthik Nemmani, 14, attended Grove Elementary and Chiddix Junior High schools until last year. He was crowned as the national champion three weeks ago during the live competition by spelling the word “koinonia,” which means a Christian fellowship or communion with fellow Christians. Nemmani, speaking with WJBC’s Marc Strauss on the Midday Show, has been involved in spelling competitions since he was a young child. He said his spelling habits go back to when he was just two years old.
“My uncle and my aunt bought me letter magnets, so I would make words with them,” Nemmani said.
Nemmani became heavily involved in the competitions when he was around four years old. He said leading up to the national competition, he would rigorously study with his family.
“You just have to study hard and try to review the ones you missed to try and drill as many words in your brain as possible,” Nemmani explained.
He noted the announcers of the competition would intentionally mispronounce words to provide a tougher challenge for the competitors. After winning the title, Nemmani went on to appear on T.V. talk shows and podcasts. He explained it’s somewhat of a tradition for the national spelling bee champions to become celebrities. One of his most public appearances was on the late-night television show Jimmy Kimmel Live.
“Every year they invite the winner of nationals to go to Jimmy Kimmel,” said Nemmani.
Nemmani was awarded $40,000 in cash and prizes for earning the top spot in the competition. Now that he’s claimed his title and earned his time in the spotlight, Nemmani said he’s ready to hang up his hat and help other kids who want to win the competition in the future.
“I’m done competing, so now I’ll coach,” Nemmani said. He will be able to coach soon-to-be spelling competitors via the internet.
Nemmani now lives in the Dallas, Texas area with his parents.
Patrick Baron can be reached at [email protected].
