Filipina Miss World Runner-Up

LONDON (AFP) – Miss Venezuela, Ivian Sarcos, was crowned the 2011 winner of the Miss World beauty pageant, while Miss Philippines, Gwendoline Ruais, was named the runner-up Sunday at a glittering final ceremony in London.

Miss Puerto Rico, Amanda Perez, came third in the contest, which was back in its home city to celebrate its 60th anniversary.

Wearing a pink dress with diamante studs that had a giant cascade of frills slashed below the waist, the 22-year-old gasped and threw her hands to her face as she was declared the winner.

“I felt the most gorgeous woman in the world. I was so happy, and I wanted to shout, to cry, to stand still and to smile. So many emotions,” she told AFP.

“I'm incredibly happy for this moment, for this opportunity and for winning, and I'm grateful with my life.”

Sarcos, who was brought up in a nunnery after being orphaned at age eight, has a human resources degree and works for a broadcasting company.

Last year's Miss World, Alexandria Mills of the United States, took off her sparkling crown and placed it on her successor's head as Sarcos sat in a shimmering silver throne.

Some 113 beauty queens from Albania to Zimbabwe took their places on the stage at the Earls Court Two auditorium in west London, with the show being broadcast live to an estimated audience of more than one-billion viewers in 150 countries.

Around 50 feminists rallied outside, waving placards reading “Objectification won't achieve world peace”, “Being a woman is not a competition” and “Sexism is pretty ugly.”

A handful were veterans of the infamous 1970 Miss World final protest, when stink bombs were hurled on stage during a noisy demonstration.

The thousands of fans inside – many dressed to the nines – cheered, waved flags, and shouted for their favorites.

Several point-scoring rounds were held over the previous two weeks during the contestants' tour of Britain, with the results revealed on stage and the top 15 going through to the semi-finals.

While beauty remains central to the event, brains, skills, and good causes also play a major role. The majority of this year's have degree-level education, and can speak at least three languages.

Miss Venezuela topped the interview round; Miss Dominican Republic, Marianly Tejada Burgos, was named the sports champion; home favorite Miss England, Alize Lily Mounter, won beach beauty, the classic swimwear contest, while Miss Kazakhstan, Zhanna Zhumaliyeva, was named top model.

The crowd was played clips from the talent round – where performers sang, danced, and gave piano recitals – won by Miss Chile, Gabriela Pulgar Luco.

Miss Ghana, Stephanie Karikari, and Miss Indonesia, Astrid Yunadi, were the joint winners of the beauty with a purpose category, where contestants can highlight a charity project.

With the scores collated, Miss Puerto Rico topped the leaderboard, ahead of Miss Venezuela, Miss Philippines, Miss Ukraine, and Miss Scotland.

The final seven – chosen by the judges, who included nine former Miss Worlds – were Miss England, Miss Korea, Miss Philippines, Miss Puerto Rico, Miss Scotland, Miss South Africa, and Miss Venezuela.

Just before the winner was announced, a message of support from former South African president Nelson Mandela was read out on stage by one of his grandsons, backing their work “empowering young people to be of service to their communities.”

The contest's charitable program, set up 40 years ago, has raised $800 million (580 million Euros) to date.

Sarcos's victory means that Venezuela now tops the all-time leaderboard alone with six titles, pulling clear of India and the United Kingdom.

“Winning means everything to me, and I hope to take advantage of being a winner in a productive manner,” the 61st Miss World said.

“I first and foremost want to help people in need.

“I would like to help people like me. I am an orphan. I would also like to help the elderly and troubled teenagers. As many people as I can.”

The pageant was first held for the 1951 Festival of Britain and was staged in London until 1989.

Former contestants include Oscar-winning US actress Halle Berry, a 1986 finalist, and 1994 winner Aishwarya Rai, the Indian movie star.

It was announced that the Miss World final will go straight back to China for 2012, this time to Ordos in Inner Mongolia.

Orphan childhood

Sarcos told AFP that her victory showed that a tragic orphan background was no barrier to achievement in life.

The 22-year-old Miss Venezuela, who works for a broadcasting company and has a degree in human resources, was one of 13 siblings.

However, she lost her parents at the age of eight and spent five years in an orphanage run by nuns.

Speaking through a translator, she said she felt her victory in a glitzy ceremony in London showed that people's circumstances in life can change.

“This has taught me that life, although it may be bad, doesn't have to end badly. Although I no longer have my parents it has taught me to be stronger,” she told AFP after being crowned before an estimated one billion viewers worldwide.

She said her moment of glory was overwhelming.

She will now spend a year working with Miss World's Beauty with a Purpose charitable program, which has raised $800 million (580 million euros) in its 40 years.

“I want to carry on doing the wonderful work that Beauty with a Purpose and the Miss World organization does and to help people in need,” she said, adding that she wanted to help “people like me” – other orphans.

She stands 1.79 meters (five feet, 10 inches) tall, and then some in her heels.

The picture of her in her pink dress with diamante studs with a mass of giant frills slashed below the waist will appear in newspapers around the world.

“It's a little big!” she said of her dress.

“It's incredibly comfortable to walk in, it's a lovely color – bright pink is one of my favorite colors. People have referred to it as a princess's dress.”

From Guanare in Venezuela's western Portuguesa State, her hobbies include volleyball, mountaineering and trekking.

Miss World chairman and chief executive Julia Morley said she thought Sarcos would prove a popular winner who would not be afraid to "get her hands dirty" in the challenging charity projects ahead.

“She's a very nice person. There are lots of girls that look beautiful but she's a very, very interesting girl too,” she told AFP.

“She's a very real person, very sweet and very genuine and I think that we're really lucky to have her.

“We're going to Ghana to work on a project there and I know that she's a down-to-earth person and she won't be afraid to get her hands dirty.”

Sarcos won the interview round, which helped propel her into the 15-strong semi-finals.

“That the other girls are really happy, they really like her. So I think that she'll be very successful,” Morley added.

Meanwhile, Malacañang is thrilled at the remarkable twin victories of Filipinos in the Miss World beauty pageant and the World Mathematics competition.

Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda hailed Miss Philippines Gwendoline Ruais for landing second place in this year's Miss World beauty pageant in London.

Lacierda likewise commended Farrel Eldrian Wu, an 11-year-old math wizard from Taguig City, after he won the gold medal in the primary division individual portion of the 2011 World Mathematics Team Championship in Beijing, China.

Wu, along with other elementary school pupils Clyde Wesley Ang, Miguel Lorenzo Ildesa, Andrea Jaba, Sedrick Scott Keh and John Aries Ceazar Hingan, composing Philippines Team 1, placed second over-all in the team contest, Lacierda said.

"We extend our congratulations to our Pinoy math whiz kids and Miss Philippines for once again proving that we Filipinos are capable of competing with the best and the brightest on the world stage," Lacierda said.

Ruais, a towering beauty from Muntinlupa City, was named first runner-up in the Miss World pageant participated in by more than a hundred contestants.