When Venus Raj clinched 4th Runner-Up honors in the Las Vegas-hosted
Miss Universe. The following year saw the Philippines claiming runner-up
finishes in both Miss Universe and Miss World (c/o Shamcey Supsup and
Gwen Ruais, respectively). And just last year, Janine Tugonon was named
1st Runner-Up to Olivia Culpo, with Stephany Stefanowitz a close 2nd in
Miss Earth and Rizzini Gomez pulling a Miss Tourism International.
More
than a week back, we finally bagged the Miss World crown via Megan
Young, with the Mutya Datul victory in Miss Supranational adding more
spice to a 2013 looking more optimistic than ever. And let’s not forget
that this year’s editions of Miss Universe, Miss Earth and Miss
International are still upcoming.
Are we looking at another Golden Age while establishing the Pageant
Powerhouse status of the Philippines? Will the winning streak run till
2015? Or will it even go beyond that? I say yes. For sure, the element
of luck will still come into play. But with the diligent training and
preparations being given to our carefully-chosen representatives,
there’s no reason to slide back and be relegated to anonymity anymore.
Gibraltar's Kaiane Aldorino claimed the title of Miss World 2009 on Saturday, defeating 111 other hopefuls at a glittering ceremony in South Africa.
"Thank you South Africa, this is the most wonderful moment of my life," said a tearful Aldorino, whose website describes her as a 22-year-old human resources clerk who loves dancing and spending time with loved ones.
Confetti rained down the stage as Aldorino, representing a British territory at the western end of the Mediterranean Sea with a population of less than 30,000, accepted the crown.
Mexico's Perla Beltran came second, with South African entry Tatum Keshwar taking third place.
The African-themed gala event at a Johannesburg convention centre attracted a multi-national crowd, waving country flags and cheering wildly for their favourite contestants.
Miss India, Pooja Chopra, a hot favourite with the crowd, got eliminated in the top 16, after winning the "beauty with a purpose" title for her charity work.
"The build up to this event has been phenomenal, the girls have had a time of their lives in South Africa," said Chinese television presenter Angela Chow, who hosted the show.
Here is the outcome of Miss World 2009:
Miss World 2009: GIBRALTAR, Kaiane Aldorino
1st Runner Up: MEXICO, Perla Beltrán
2nd Runner Up: SOUTH AFRICA, Tatum Keshwar
TOP 7 FINALISTS
COLOMBIA , Daniela Ramos PANAMA, Nadege Herrera CANADA, Lena Ma FRANCE, Chloé Mortaud
TOP 16 SEMIFINALISTS
JAPAN, Eruza Sasaki SIERRA LEONE, Mariatu Kargbo INDIA, Pooja Chopra KOREA, Kim Joo-ri MARTINIQUE, Ingrid Littré POLAND, Anna Jamróz BRAZIL, Luciana Bertolini VIETNAM, Trần Thị Hương Giang KAZAKHSTAN, Dina Nuraliyeva
FAST TRACK EVENT WINNERS
-Japan (Sports Winner) -Canada (Talent Winner) -Sierra Leone (Talent Winner) -Mexico (Top Model Winner) -Gibraltar (Beach Beauty Winner) -India (Beauty with a Purpose Winner)
CONTINENTAL QUEENS OF BEAUTY
Beauty Queen of Africa: Tatum Keshwar (South Africa) Beauty Queen of Americas: Perla Beltrán (Mexico) Beauty Queen of Asia & Oceania: Trần Thị Hương Giang (Vietnam) Beauty Queen of Caribbean: Ingrid Littré (Martinique) Beauty Queen of Europe: Kaiane Aldorino (Gibraltar)
This year’s board of judges are:
Julia Morley (Miss World Limited Chairman and Chairman of the Judges) Priyanka Chopra (Miss World 2000 from India) Zhang Zi Lin (Miss World 2006 from China) Mike Dixon (Musical Director) JJ Schoeman (Designer) Lindiwe Mahlangu-Kwele (CEO Johannesburg Tourism Company) Graham Cooke (MD World Travel Group) Warren Batchelor (Executive Producer, Miss World 2009)
