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Monday, December 21, 2015

Indonesian Is Second Runner-Up at Miss World; Crown Goes to Spain

Jakarta Globe, Hayat Indriyatno, December 20, 2015

Mireia Lalaguna Royo of Spain is crowned by former Miss World Jolene Strauss
after winning the 2015 pageant in Sanya, China, on Saturday. Miss Russia Sofia
 Nikitchuk, left, and Miss Indonesia Maria Harfanti were the first and second
runners-up, respectively. (AFP Photo/Johannes Eisele)

Jakarta. Indonesia’s Maria Harfanti was named second runner-up in the Miss World beauty pageant in Sanya, China, on Saturday evening, with the crown going to Spain’s Mireia Lalaguna Royo.

It was the highest finish ever for an Indonesian at either the Miss World or Miss Universe pageants, and also saw Maria, 23, sweep two other awards: the “Beauty With a Purpose” challenge, for a project she initiated to bring clean water to rural areas; and the “Continental Queens of Beauty” award, in recognition of the Yogyakarta native’s placing ahead of all the other contestants from Asia.

Lalaguna Royo, also 23, takes over the Miss World crown from last year’s winner, South Africa’s Rolene Strauss. She is the first contestant from Spain to win the pageant since it started in 1951. Sofia Nikitchuk, 22, of Russia was the first runner-up.

The pageant was mired in controversy before it even began earlier this month after Miss Canada, Anastasia Lin, was denied a visa to enter the host country. Lin, who was born in China, had previously criticized China’s human rights record before the US Congress, and is a staunch supporter of the Falun Gong, or Falun Dafa, spiritual movement, which is banned in China.


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