Latin beauty dominates Miss Global
Published:Monday | September 26, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Raquel Oliver's voice could rival that of Whitney Houston's, but Miss Bahamas' talent was not enough to wrest the 2011 Miss Global International crown from Miss Puerto Rico, Yansy Vega.
Head judge Robert Russell and his team had great difficulty selecting the winner of the seventh annual beauty contest last Saturday night, but at the end of the evening, and after two days of gruelling preparation, the women from Puerto Rico, Bosnia and Cape Verde were the top choices.
Vega, the 22-year-old Latin beauty, displaced 23 other women to take the crown, a trophy, US$1,000, J$150,000, a five-day/four-night stay at a Riu hotel, a contract with renowned photographer Brian Rosen, and all the perks that come with the coveted title. Her first and second runners-up are Semira Hadzimehmedagic, Miss Bosnia, and Yasmin Lima, Miss Cape Verde, respectively.
Still shocked by her good fortune, Vega told The Gleaner that the contest was very competitive, and even though she felt confident, she never once thought she would have walked away with the crown.
Shocked
"I am still in shock, but this win is going to help me," the professional model and fashion stylist predicted.
"A lot of people think I shouldn't be an international model, because I am too short, and I want to prove them wrong," she stated. She also copped the sectional prizes for Most Aware and Best Costume.
The judges, too, felt she was the best suited candidate to wear the Miss Global 2011 title, and Robert Russell confirmed this shortly after the announcement. "They were all beautiful girls, but we were looking for beauty, talent and awareness," said Russell.
Another judge, Clelia Barreto de Hunter, Ecuadorean ambassador to Jamaica, said Vega had an advantage from the prejudging, which took place last Friday.
"I was looking for an easiness in her beauty and I found that, complemented by humility."
She said Vega's features portray, not just inner, but outer, beauty.
The Puerto Rican received stiff competition from Anastasia Mikhailides of Greece, and although Miss Jamaica, Kimberly Sherlock, seemed extremely laid-back and quiet during the competition, she, too, seemed to have been in the forefront of the minds of the judges who placed her in the top five.
Fabulous costumes
One of the crowd favourites, Miss Bahamas, did not make it further than the top 10, while Miss Australia, the Most Congenial, remained just that throughout the event.
For the first time during the staging of the event, the contestants showcased some of the most fabulous costumes representing their countries, and it was obvious their gowns cost a pretty penny. The star-studded event was heightened by innovative and creatively choreographed entertainment by the Palladium Dancers and the expert emceeing by western Jamaica's queen of the stage, Jackie Norman.
Pageant ambassador Lachu Ramchandani seemed to have found a winner with the Miss Global International competition, as this year he brought in ladies from as far as Russia, Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Nigeria, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Malaysia.
Regionally, Guadeloupe, Venezuela, the US Virgin Islands, Cuba, St Maarten and Trinidad and Tobago were among the countries represented in the calendar event hosted by the man known as the 'King of Pageants'.