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Fourteen-year-old Ghanaian Afua Ansah achieved her country's highest ever placing in the US national spelling competition - known as the Spelling Bee.

She got through to the final 45 contestants, but was knocked out after misspelling "Liechtenstein".

Before the final round Afua said that she felt a "really heavy weight on my shoulders", the competition's blog reports.

Her sponsor Eugenia Tachie-Menson is quoted as saying:

She's brought so much honour, not just for her country, but for the continent."

The competition was won by 11-year-old Nihar Janga and 13-year-old Jairam Hathwar.