MANILA, Philippines — When the Miss World pageant finally commenced its 70th edition in the last quarter of 2021, there were 97 delegates who gathered in Puerto Rico where the competition was set. But after another postponement when several delegates and staff members tested positive for COVID-19, only 40 representatives returned for the global tilt’s resumption this month.
The pageant’s milestone edition was supposed to stage its coronation ceremonies on Dec. 16. It had already been cancelled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its 2021 haul is already one of the smallest in the pageant’s history where more than 100 delegates participate every year. But Miss World Organization (MWO) president Julia Morley decided it best to require only those who earlier advanced through the “fast-track” events and other pre-qualifiers to return to the competition.
One of those who advanced to the Top 40 of the 2021 Miss World pageant was Tracy Maureen Perez of the Philippines, who was one the six winners in the pageant’s flagship project “Beauty With a Purpose.” She also won in her round of the knockout stage of the “Head-to-Head” challenge, along with seven other aspirants who also won their respective rounds.
The Beauty With a Purpose and Head-to-Head challenge are among the fast-track events whose winners automatically gain spots in the Top 40.
Aside from Perez, those who advanced to the next stage of the competition via their Beauty With a Purpose projects are England’s Rehema Muthamia, India’s Manasa Varanasi, Kenya’s Sharon Obara,
South Africa’s Shudufhadzo Musida, and the United States’ Shree Saini.
Also joining the Top 40 courtesy of their performance in the Head-to-Head challenge are Botswana’s Palesa Mofele, Cameroon’s Audrey Monkam, Cote d’Ivoire’s Olivia Yacé, Nepal’s Namrata Shrestha, Nicaragua’s Sheynnis Palacios, Paraguay’s Bethania Borba, and Venezuela’s Alejandra Conde.
Yacé also topped two other fast-track events—Top Model and Multimedia—making her the most bemedaled of the lot so far.
Mexico’s Karolina Vidales won the Sports Challenge held on Dec. 1, while Mongolia’s Burte-Ujin Anu topped the Talent event held on Dec. 4.
The 25 other delegates in the Top 40 are the representatives from Argentina, the Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Guinea, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Madagascar, Malaysia, Northern Ireland, Poland, Puerto Rico, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vietnam.
They will all compete for the crown currently held by 2019 Miss World Tori-Ann Singh from Jamaica at the coronation ceremonies which will be staged at Puerto Rico’s Coca-Cola Music Hall on March 16 (March 17 in Manila).
The Philippines has so far only one Miss World winner, Megan Young who was crowned in 2013.