優れる
すぐれる · sugureru · JLPT N3 · verb-ichidan
to excel
🏆 sugureru sounds like sugar rules: sugar beats every other flavour
Sugar rules, so it surpasses everything else. The kanji 優 is 亻 (person) + 憂 (worry): someone who takes great care, and so does better than others. The same kanji appears in 優勝 (championship win).