Living up to her frontrunner billing, 22-year-old Paulina Vega bested 87 other hopefuls on her way to winning the coveted crown in the 63rd edition of the prestigious beauty pageant held Sunday, January 25 (Monday, January 26, Manila time) in Doral, Florida.
Vega, a business administration student at the Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, seemed destined for victory right from the start as her name was the first to be called when hosts Thomas Roberts and Natalie Morales announced the Top 15 semi-finalists.
It was smooth sailing from there for the sweet-faced Latina as she ultimately topped a formidable field of beauties that included runners-up Miss USA Nia Sanchez, Miss Ukraine Diana Harkusha, surprise finalist Miss Netherlands Yasmin Verheijen and Miss Jamaica Kaci Fennell, who drew the loudest applause.
However, Vega’s coronation was marred by the loud and prolonged booing at the Florida International University Arena in Doral after Miss Jamaica was called as the fourth runner-up.
The last time Colombia won the crown was in 1956 when Luz Marina Zuluaga took home the title.
Vega spoke proudly of her country, and said in the question round Colombia “has been a role model for the rest of the world.”
“We are persevering people, despite all the obstacles, we keep fighting for what we want to achieve. After years of difficulty, we are leading in several areas on the world stage.”
Vega won highest possible score of 9.9 in every presentation at the Miss Universe Colombia contest, according to the pageant’s website.
The five-foot-nine model from Barranquilla is the granddaughter of legendary tenor Gaston Vega and 1953 Miss Atlantico, Elvira Castillo.
The 63rd edition of the Miss Universe pageant selected the pageant’s 2014 winner after the Miss Universe organization failed to stage the event last year.
Ten judges were tasked to select this year’s winner, including Cuban-American music mogul Emilio Estefan, Cuban soap opera star William Levy and Philippine boxing great Manny Pacquiao.
The contest, owned by Donald Trump, is watched by about 600 million worldwide, pageant officials say.
There was some criticism of the $2.5 million contribution that the city of Doral made to the pageant, as local politicians were divided over whether the promotion for the city near Miami is worth that money.
The Miss Universe contest started out in 1952 as a local “bathing beauty” competition organized by a swimwear company in Long Beach, California.
Today, the competition is more than a beauty pageant and contestants “compete with hope of advancing their careers, personal and humanitarian goals and… seek to improve the lives of others,” according to the Miss Universe website.
Miss Philippines Mary Jean Lastimosa fell short of her bid to win the country’s third Miss Universe title as she was able to make it as far as the Top 10. Lastimosa’s semifinals finish broke the Philippines’ string of runner-up placements that started with Venus Raj in 2010 and was followed by Shamcey Supsup, Janine Tugonon and Ariella Arida.
Lastimosa’s loss was a big letdown for Filipino pageant fans as she was considered a frontrunner in fearless forecasts leading up to the pageant’s coronation night.
In a statement furnished to Interaksyon, the Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Incorporated still congratulated the 27-year old North Cotabato native for her performance in pageant.
“Title or no title, her participation in Miss Universe’s global discussions on peace, cultural exchange and other charity initiatives has beautifully showcased the Filipina’s beauty, intellect and compassion,” the statement read.
(With a report from Agence France-Presse)
source: interaksyon.com
