Faizan Zaki, 13, rebounds from stunning gaffe to win National Spelling Bee crown

• Texas teen wins 97th Scripps National Spelling Bee

• Moment of overconfidence nearly thwarted Zaki

• Gallery: Best shots from the National Spelling Bee

• Spelling Bee quiz: can you beat the past years' winners?

Faizan Zaki's enthusiasm for spelling nearly got the better of him. Ultimately, his joyful approach made him the Scripps National Spelling Bee champion.

The favorite entering the bee after his runner-up finish last year - during which he never misspelled a word in a conventional spelling round, only to lose a lightning-round tiebreaker that he didn't practice for - the shaggy-haired Faizan wore the burden of expectations lightly, sauntering to the microphone in a black hoodie and spelling his words with casual glee.