Story highlights Ananya Vinay is the first solo winner in three years

12-year-old beat 291 other spellers in this year's contest

(CNN) Ananya Vinay showed little emotion until she finally let a smile slip and lifted the Scripps National Spelling Bee trophy.

The 12-year-old from Fresno, California, won the spelling competition Thursday night after numerous rounds against Rohan Rajeev. They were the last two standing of the initial 291 spellers.

"I just focused on my word and tried to spell it right," she said.

The winning word was "marocain," a dress fabric that is made of ribbed silk or rayon and a filling of other yarns.

After she was proclaimed the champion, she rocked side-to-side, barely smiling until her dad rushed to hug her. As the rest of her family joined her, the new champ finally let her happiness show.

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