Hanna Yoshida of K. International School Tokyo managed to outlast her final opponent Saturday over the course of nine tense rounds by spelling ¡°insubordinate¡± to secure victory at the ninth annual Japan Times Bee.
After misspelling a word in the final round, it appeared 14-year-old Yoshida would be destined for runner-up, but 12-year-old Preksha Prashanth of the Yokohama campus of India International School was unable to clinch victory with her final word as well, setting the stage for a dramatic finish at the headquarters of The Japan Times in Tokyo.
In the end, Yoshida managed to recover from her misstep, nailing ¡°emulate,¡± ¡°parsonage,¡± ¡°intermission,¡± ¡°execute¡± and her final word, ¡°insubordinate,¡± which means defiant of authority, to beat her 40 rivals.
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