Filipino-Australian Catriona Gray has won this year’s Miss Universe pageant, making it the Philippines’ fourth win in the history of the competition.
On Monday morning in Thailand, Gray, 24, was crowned the new Miss Universe after competing against 93 other contestants for the title. Tamaryn Green of South Africa was first runner-up, followed by Sthefany Gutiérrez of Venezuela, CNN Philippines reported.
Gray is the fourth Filipina to win the title, following Pia Wurtzbach, who won the title in 2015. Margie Moran won the crown in 1973 and Gloria Diaz was the first Filipina to win the Miss Universe pageant in 1969.
The Filipina beauty queen is an advocate and volunteers at non-government organization Love Yourself PH, an NGO that advocates and promotes HIV-AIDS awareness and prevention.
Gray was a model and singer with a Master Certification in Music Theory from Berklee College of Music in Boston in the US and has a Certificate in Outdoor Recreation and a black belt in Choi Kwang-Do.
Before Miss Universe, Gray represented the Philippines in the Miss World pageant in 2016 in the United States, where she finished in fifth place. Stephanie del Valle from Puerto Rico won the pageant that year.
It so happened that she wasn’t meant to conquer the World, but the Universe.
It so happened that she wasn’t meant to conquer the World, but the Universe.