- Catriona Gray from the Philippines has emerged the winner of the Miss Universe crown for 2018
- She has become the fourth Filipina to take home the crowned title
- The 24-year-old beat over 90 contestants from around the globe in the competition for the crown
The 2018 Miss Universe crown has been concluded and 24-year-old Filipina-Australian Catriona Gray has snagged the crown. This has made Gray the fourth Filipina to take home the crown.
Following close behind is South African Demi Leigh Nel-Peters, who was the first runner upper, followed by Miss Venezuela, Sthefany Gutiérrez, rounded up as the finalists at the contest in Bangkok.
Speaking with reporters after her victory, Gray revealed that she would like an organisation in the Philippines that promotes education on HIV and AIDS. She said: “A few years ago I lost a close friend to health complications with HIV. So spreading awareness on that cause and encouraging people to get the simple test and knowing their status is definitely one of the first projects that I’d like to pursue.”
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Gray who is a student of music theory, beat over 90 contestants from around the globe in the 67th installment of Miss Universe, which was held in the Thai capital’s Impact Arena.
Also in the competition was Miss Spain, Angela Ponce, the first transgender contestant in the competition's history. Although she stated that being a beauty queen has always been her dreams, Ponce didn't make it to the top 20.
READ ALSO: Former beauty queen arrested and charged with sending indecent photos to a 15-year-old
Issues of tolerance and disrespect came into play when Miss USA, Sarah Rose Summers poked fun at Miss Vietnam and Miss Cambodia on social media for their inability to speak English.
Summers later apologized after she received major backlash on social media. According to her, it wasn't her intent to hurt or disrespect them or their cultural heritage.
Gray’s victory was closely followed in the Philippines, where beauty pageants are hugely popular. A spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte in a statement praised Gray’s win for putting the Philippines on the world map “for its beauty and elegance”.
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