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ARTICLE VIEW:
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Denmark’s Victoria Kjær Theilvig wins Miss Universe 2024
By Jessie Yeung and Oscar Holland, CNN
Updated:
12:14 AM EST, Sun November 17, 2024
Source: CNN
Victoria Kjær Theilvig of Denmark has been crowned Miss Universe 2024,
becoming the first Dane to ever win the competition.
The 21-year-old, a competitive dancer, entrepreneur, and aspiring
lawyer, beat more than 120 other contestants to win the annual beauty
pageant in Mexico City on Saturday night.
She was applauded by other contestants on stage as she accepted the
tiara from reigning titleholder of Nicaragua.
This year’s finale featured a performance by singer Robin Thicke and
was hosted by “Saved by the Bell” star Mario Lopez and former Miss
Universe Olivia Culpo.
The glitzy pageant began with contestants being narrowed down to a
shortlist of 30, based on the results of Thursday’s preliminary
event, which included a . The semi-finalists then paraded in swimwear,
before 12 of them advanced to an evening gown contest.
The final five contestants later faced questions on a range of topics,
including leadership and resilience. When asked how she would live
differently if nobody would judge her, Theilvig told the judges she
wouldn’t change anything, saying, “I live by each day.”
When later asked what she would say to those watching, Theilvig urged
viewers to “keep fighting … no matter where you come from.”
“I stand here today because I want a change, I want to make history,
and that’s what I’m doing tonight,” she said.
Chidimma Adetshina of Nigeria finished as first runner-up and Maria
Fernanda Beltran of Mexico was named second runner-up. Suchata
Chuangsri of Thailand and Ileana Marquez Pedroza of Venezuela followed
– with Pedroza, a 28-year-old mother, making history in the top five
after the competition removed several restrictions in recent years.
This year marked the first time in Miss Universe’s 72-year history
that women aged over 28 were permitted to enter. More than two dozen of
the finalists were older than would have been allowed in previous
years, with Malta’s Beatrice Njoya becoming the first and only woman
in her 40s to reach the grand finale.
The age limit’s removal came amid growing calls for the pageant to
modernize. Ahead of 2023’s contest, the Miss Universe Organization
also lifted a longstanding ban on pregnant women or mothers, and women
who are — or ever have been — married.
Delegates for each country were selected via local pageants that
license local rights from the Miss Universe Organization. This year’s
contest saw Cuba, represented by Marianela Ancheta, take part in Miss
Universe for the first time since 1967. Several countries, including
Belarus, Eritrea and the United Arab Emirates, sent contestants for the
first time, though in April the Miss Universe Organization moved to a
flurry of what it called “false and misleading” reports that Saudi
Arabia was due to make its debut in the 2024 pageant.
Some national-level contests were marred by controversies in the
build-up to this year’s final — including Miss Universe South
Africa, which saw Adetshina quit the competition (and later be to
represent Nigeria) after questions around her nationality sparked a
wave of xenophobic hostility.
Last December, the director of the Miss Universe Nicaragua contest,
Karen Celebertti, just weeks after Palacios took the crown, amid
charges of conspiracy and treason. She, along with her husband and son,
were accused of involvement in a plot to overthrow the government.
Neither Celebertti nor the Nicaraguan government responded to CNN’s
request for comment.
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