Miss Denmark wins the Miss Universe competition 2024

More than 120 women from around the world participated in the 2024 Miss Universe pageant in Mexico City on Saturday night. And the winner was… 21-year-old Victoria Theilvig from Denmark.

Playing out over three hours of competition, the field was first narrowed down to 30 national title holders in the swimsuit round. Based on the condition of their bikinis (or one-pieces, for those who dared not bare), 12 contestants were selected by judges to show off frothy, bedazzled evening gowns; Robin Thicke appeared at the piano at this point, but we don’t need to dwell on that.

From there, just five finalists engaged in the Q&A round before the verdict came in and the crown was, well, crowned.

Chidimma Adetshina, Miss Nigeria, placed first runner-up to Theilvig, ahead of Mexico’s María Fernanda Beltrán, Thailand’s Suchata Chuangsri and Venezuela’s Ileana Márquez.

Adetshina’s participation in the Miss Universe pageant had been the source of some controversy. She had originally tried to compete in the Miss South Africa pageant before a racial pressure campaign challenging her eligibility forced her out (and pushed her to enter – and win – the Miss Nigeria pageant). Mia Le Roux, the winner of Miss South Africa, dropped out of the Miss Universe pageant just a few days ago, citing “health problems.”

Theilvig will take over from 2023 Miss Universe, Sheynnis Palacios in Nicaragua. Palacios’ reign was complicated, to say the least, after allegations that she had been involved in anti-government protests in her country while she was a student.

Miss USA 2024, Alma Cooper of Michigan, did not earn a semifinalist spot — the first time the United States has missed out in more than a decade.