Miss World Belize Elise-Gayonne Vernon made it to the top 40 in the 71st edition of the Miss World Pageant. On Saturday, March 9th, the Miss World 2024 pageant was held in Mumbai, India. Krystyna Pyszková, a 23-year-old law student from the Czech Republic, won the crown. While the Belizean beauty did not win the overall competition, she made her mark during the preliminary competitions.
This year, the pageant saw the participation of 112 contestants from countries worldwide. Preliminary rounds leading up to the pageant included fitness, beauty, talent, and public speaking competitions, allowing the judges to select the best contestants. Miss World Belize Elise-Gayonne Vernon made it to the top 40 after showcasing her poise, beauty, talents, and knowledge.
On pageant day, the field was then narrowed down to the top 12 and then the top eight, at which time the contestants participated in a question-and-answer round, addressing topics discussed at the most recent G20 Summit. During this round, Pyszková spoke about removing the stigma and shame surrounding menstruation when asked about a women’s health care issue.
After one final cut, four contestants “pitched their purpose” to a trio of business moguls from “Shark Tank India.” The four finalists represented the four regions of the world: Africa, the Americas and Caribbean, Asia and Oceania, and Europe. Pyszková’s victory came over the three runners-up, Yasmina Zeytoun of Lebanon, Aché Abrahams of given to delegates who placed highest in the final, and Lesego Chombo of Botswana. In addition to the main Miss World title, continental titles were awarded to delegates who placed highest in the final. The continental titles were Brazil’s Leticia Frota for the Americas, Trinidad and Tobago’s Ache Abrahams for the Caribbean, Botswana’s Lesego Chombo for Africa, England’s Jessica Gagen for Europe, Lebanon’s Yasmina Zaytoun for Asia and Astralia’s Kristen Wright for Oceania.
Vernon is a 21-year-old from Biscayne Village in the Belize District. She was awarded the Miss World Belize title on October 9, 2022. Her cause going into the pageant was to bring light to the importance of feeding programs to help those in need, involving small communities and the farming community. Vernon is an inspiration to others and aims to help those deprived. “My favorite part of the Miss World Pageant is their focus on being beautiful with a purpose. I am happy to show that we can be ourselves and help others by doing what we love. As a farmer, I’ve found my purpose in helping to curve hunger in my country through sustainable agriculture and other projects,” said Vernon on her social media page.
The Miss World pageant was founded in the United Kingdom in 1951 as a bikini contest. It is widely viewed as the oldest international beauty pageant.
The San Pedro Sun congratulates beauty ambassador Elise-Gayonne Vernon for representing Belize and her island home with confidence and fantastic talent. Miss World Belize returned home on Tuesday, March 12th.
