Sydney spelling bee final sees Ahmed win, Lumley later nail 'apocalypse'
Thirty‑four NSW primary students battled obscure words in Sydney’s spelling bee, with Ahmed declared winner and Lumley later spelling 'apocalypse' correctly amid intense competition.
At a glance
- Thirty‑four primary students from 1,070 NSW schools reached the state spelling bee finals held in a western Sydney theatre.
- Ahmed was declared the overall winner after spelling 'immemorial', while Lumley later spelled 'apocalypse' correctly, drawing cheers.
- Contestants faced challenging words such as 'tourmaline', 'lepidopterist', 'grandiloquent' and 'vociferous' across multiple sudden‑death rounds.
**At a small theatre hall in western Sydney on a Friday afternoon, 34 primary school students competed in the New South Wales spelling bee finals.** The finalists, representing the top 0.03% of roughly 200,000 participants from 1,070 public schools, faced sudden‑death rounds of increasingly difficult vocabulary.
The field of champions Five of the contestants were returning finalists, including year‑5 student Wafiq Ayyash, a 2024 junior state title holder, and year‑6 student Bobby Ivaneza, that year’s runner‑up. Ewan Mattick, Caleb Borg and Alesha Kahfandi had each qualified for the state finals three times previously. The group was culturally diverse: 23 spoke a language other than English at home and 18 travelled from outside Sydney.
Early eliminations and dramatic moments The competition began with simple words, then moved to unseen terms such as “tourmaline,” “malapropism,” “lepidopterist” and “centurion.” Seven students fell in the first round, another seven in round two, and a further 13 across the next four rounds. Ivaneza, usually confident, stumbled on “whimsical” and later missed “unserviceable,” ending his run.
After Ahmed correctly spelled “immemorial,” the remaining three—Kahfandi, Wang and Lumley—were eliminated when they missed “antepenultimate,” “parmigiana” and “genealogy.” The announcer, ABC presenter Rae Johnston, noted an unusual situation and announced a race for runner‑up. Wang was quickly out on “grandiloquent,” leaving Kahfandi and Lumley locked in a five‑round duel where they were either both correct or both wrong.
When Kahfandi missed “vociferous,” Lumley stepped up and nailed “apocalypse.” The crowd erupted in cheers, and his grandmother Sue expressed pride, saying he remained calm despite the stress.
Victory and reactions Ahmed, who had been declared the overall winner earlier, said he was initially surprised but happy, noting that the runner‑up’s words were harder. His mother credited his nightly study routine and his habit of reading. Kahfandi placed third, describing the pressure and her fatigue after many rounds. Lumley’s victory was celebrated by his family and peers, marking a memorable day for NSW spelling champions.
Source: The Guardian World.
Questions and answers
- Who won the New South Wales spelling bee final?
- Ahmed was announced as the winner after correctly spelling 'immemorial'.
- What were some of the hardest words contestants faced?
- Words like 'tourmaline', 'lepidopterist', 'grandiloquent', 'vociferous' and 'apocalypse' proved especially challenging.
- How many students qualified for the finals and where was the event held?
- Thirty‑four primary school students competed in a western Sydney theatre hall for the state finals.
