Victoria Kjaer Theilvig

 Denmark wins Miss Universe 2024 crown, Philippines is proclaimed Miss Universe Asia

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte 

Victoria Kjaer Theilvig of Denmark bested 124 other delegates to be crowned the 73rd Miss Universe winner. Outgoing queen Sheynnis Palacios Cornejo of Nicaragua relinquished her title to the Danish queen with Jewelmer's Lumiere de I'infini crown.

This is the first time Denmark won the most coveted title, after a near-win by Danish delegate Aino Korva in 1963, who finished as 1st runner-up. This was the same year that our very own Lalaine Bennett won as 3rd runner-up. 

This is one of the rare times, too, in recent history, that the Top 2 remaining finalists did not come from powerhouse countries - Denmark and Nigeria. 

Chidimma Adetshina of Nigeria was proclaimed 1st runner-up and Continental Queen of Africa & the Middle East,  while Maria Fernanda Beltran (Mexico), Opal Suchata Chuangsri (Thailand), and Ileana Marquez (Venezuela) were declared runners-up in descending order.

The selection committee members composed of Lele Pons, Emilio Estefan, Miss Universe Canada 2020 Nova Stevens, Gary Nader, Camila Guiribitey, Eva Cavalli, Michael Cinco, Fariana, Jessica Carrillo, Gabriela Gonzalez, Gianluca Vacchi, and Miss Universe 1978 Margaret Gardiner chose 8 finalists from the Americas (North & South), one from Africa, one from Asia, and two Europeans in the Top 12.

The five other delegates who were eliminated from the Top 12 were Juliana Gaidriki Barrientos (Bolivia), Ashley Callingbull (Canada), Magali Benejam (Argentina), Valentina Alekseeva (Russia), and Tatiana Calmell (Peru), who was named Continental Queen of the Americas.

Like last year, the judges included in their selection candidates with unique stories such as Canada's first winner of indigenous race and Egypt's vitiligo condition. Had Souh Africa not withdrawn from the pageant, she would have also been recognized as her country's first delegate with hearing impairment.

The lucky ladies to have advanced to the semifinal round (Top 30) were indira Ampiot (France), Rhea Singha (India), Ivana Relic Trisic (Serbia), Ky Duyen Nguyen (Vietnam), Marianela Ancheta (Cuba), Jia Qi (China), Kaya Chakrabortty (Japan), Logina Salah (Egypt), Cassandra Chiu (Macau), Mara Topic (Ecuador), Sandra Lim (Malaysia), Anouk Eman (Aruba), Matilda Wirtavouri (Finland, Continental Queen of Europe), Celinee Santos (Dominican Republic), Davin Prasath (Cambodia), Geysell Garcia (Nicaragua), Sakdile Dube (Zimbabwe), and Chelsea Manalo (Philippines), who was declared Miss Universe Asia, the continental queen of the Asia-Pacific region.

Hosted by Mario Lopez and Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo, with commentators Zuri Hall and Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, the 73rd Miss Universe coronation rites was beamed to a global audience from the Arena Ciudad de Mexico and was beamed to a global audience via several platforms like Telemundo, Roku, and Youtube, as well as A2Z and Kapamilya channels nationwide.