Andrea Rubio

 Venezuela crowned 61st Miss International, PH in fourth place

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte

Andrea Rubio of Venezuela was crowned the 61st Miss International at the close of glitzy rites in Tokyo. She adds another crown to their collection of Miss International wins; making them the country with the highest number of crowns at nine.

For two weeks the delegates were judged in separate sessions of swimwear and interview, as well as onstage performances in the national costume and evening gown. The delegates, while competing, also sampled the sights and sounds, and also savored Japan's delectable cuisine. Since their arrival on Oct 12th, the ladies also immersed in sessions on the Ikebana flower arrangement and the tea ceremony.

From 70 delegates, the number was whittled down to a Top 15 in the semifinal round, including three delegates who topped the online poll. The final round saw Top 7 delegates fighting for the crown in the Q&A.

The Miss International 2023 court is comprised of Sofia Osio Luna (1st runner-up, Colombia), Camila Diaz Daneri (2nd runner-up, Peru), Nicole Borromeo (3rd runner-up, Philippines), and Vanessa Hayes (4th runner-up, Bolivia). The two other delegates who made it to the Final 7 were Misses Mexico and Thailand.

In her answer to her final question, Nicole elucidated her stand in choosing the U.N. Sustainable Development Goal #11 on sustainable cities. She said home is everything and that the children must be included in the process of legislation being the citizens of tomorrow.

The other delegates who made it to the Top 15 were those from Panama, Greece, Cote d' Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. The winners of the special awards were Angola (Best National.Costume), Indonesia (Best in Evening Gown), Zimbabwe (Miss Fitness), and New Zealand (Miss Photogenic).

The ladies also voted among themselves who will be hailed as Continental queens in their respective regions. Ghana was chosen for Africa, USA for the Americas, Macau for Asia, and the United Kingdom for Europe.

Rubio joins the ranks of her Venezuelan sister queens who won in 1985 (Nina Sicilia), 1997 (Consuelo Adler), 2000 (Vivian Urdaneta), 2003 (Goizeder Azua), 2006 (Daniela Di Giacomo), 2010 (Elizabeth Mosquera), 2015 (Edymar Marquez), and 2018 (Mariem Velazco).

The 61st Miss International coronation night was beamed live to a global audience from the Yoyogi Gymnasium No.2 in Shibuya, Tokyo. Seventy delegates from four continents participated in this year's pageant.