DALLAS (KRLD) - Sixteen finalists will compete in this year's championship finals at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Four of them are from North Texas.
The Bee started earlier this week with more than 500 competitors. And of the 50 who started the final day on Thursday, more than half were eliminated.
The four DFW-area students who will compete in Thursday night's primetime finals are:
Sohum Sukhatankar, sponsored by the Dallas Sports Commission
Abhijay Kodali, sponsored by the Dallas Sports Commission
Rohan Raja, sponsored by the Dallas Sports Commission
Hephzibah Sujoe, who attends Bethesda Christian School in Haltom City
Sujoe, 13, is a fascinating story at this year's National Spelling Bee. Her brother, Ansun, was the 2014 co-champion at the event. He also attended Bethesda Christian School.
Kodali is hoping to top last year's finish at the national event. He placed third in 2018, finishing behind national champion Karthik Nemmani of McKinney.
The primetime finals will be televised on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.