Denmark’s Victoria Kjær Theilvig wins Miss Universe 2024

CNN
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Victoria Kjær Theilvig from Denmark has been named Miss Universe 2024 and is thus 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 title holder Sheynnis Palacios 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 competition began with contestants being narrowed down to a shortlist of 30, based on the results of Thursday’s inaugural event, which included a flamboyant national costume competition. The semi-finalists then paraded in swimwear before 12 of them progressed to an evening gown competition.

The final five contestants later faced questions on a range of topics including leadership and resilience. When asked how she would live differently if no one wanted to judge her, Theilvig told the judges that she wouldn’t change a thing, saying, “I live every day.”

When later asked what she wanted to say to those watching, Theilvig encouraged viewers to “keep fighting … no matter where you come from.”

“I’m standing 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 was the first time in Miss Universe’s 72-year history that women over 28 were allowed 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 final.

The removal of the age limit came amid growing calls for the pageant to be modernized. Ahead of 2023’s pageant, the Miss Universe Organization also lifted a long-standing ban on pregnant women or mothers and women who are – or have ever been – married.

Delegates for each country were selected via local pageants that license local rights from the Miss Universe Organization. In this year’s pageant, Cuba, represented by Marianela Ancheta, participated 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 dispel a flurry of what it called “false and misleading” reports that Saudi Arabia was set to make its debut in the 2024 competition.

Some national-level pageants were marred by controversy in the build-up to this year’s finals – including Miss Universe South Africa, where Adetshina left the competition (and was later selected to represent Nigeria) after questions about her nationality sparked a wave of xenophobia. hostility.

Last December, the director of the Miss Universe Nicaragua pageant, Karen Celebertti, resigned just weeks after Palacios took the crown, amid allegations of conspiracy and betrayal. She was accused, along with her husband and son, of being involved in a plot to overthrow the government.

Neither Celebertti nor the Nicaraguan government responded to CNN’s request for comment.