Miss World 2014 Winner PROCLAIMED: Rolene Strauss Of South Africa Reigns The Pageant As USA’s Elizabeth Safrit Finishes Third

By Staff Reporter | Dec 14, 2014 06:55 PM EST

TEXT SIZE    

Rolene Strauss of South Africa was hailed as Miss World 2014 winner during the final coronation night of the pageant at London's Excel London ICC Auditorium on Dec. 14. She bested 121 candidates from all over the globe. And USA's Elizabeth Safrit came third while Edina Kulcsar of Hungary was the runner up.

South Africa's Rolene Strauss was crowned as Miss World 2014 winner on Sunday. She is the successor of Miss World 2013 reigning queen, Megan Young of the Philippines. According to E! News, Strauss is a 22-year-old fourth-year medical student and is a daughter of a doctor and a nurse.

The Miss World 2014 winner, Rolene Strauss also jokingly calls herself as a "test-tube baby." At the coronation, Rappler reported she described herself with a "wild South African heart." And when she asked why she wanted to be Miss World, Strauss proudly said that she experienced firsthand all the existing aspiration of the organization.

"Being proudly South African, I have firsthand experience that unity, respect, forgiveness exists those all the aspirations of the Miss World organization, so it would be amazing to represent an organization that is a beacon of hope all over the world," Rolene Strauss stated.

During the final coronation night, performances by Sky Blu, The Vamps and the Miss World contestants themselves have eased the palpable nervous tension surrounding the crowd as the highly-anticipated announcement of the results are waited.

Meanwhile, candidates from Australia's Courtney Thorpe, Carina Tyrell of England, Guyana's Rafieya Husain, Julia Gama of Brazil, Kenya's Idah Nguma, Daniela Alvarez Reyes of Mexico and India's Koyal Rana rounded the top 10, People reported.

The Miss World 2014 runners up were Edina Kulcsar of Hungary and USA's Elizabeth Safrit while South Africa's Rolene Strauss was proclaimed the winner. Kulcsar is a former finalist of the Miss Plastic Hungary beauty pageant in 2009. The contest featured contestants who had plastic surgery and aimed to promote the benefits of cosmetic procedures.    

While Safrit of the United States has a BA in political science from the University of Southern California and has been dancing since she was little. She also represented North Carolina at the Miss United States pageant.

Aside from crowning the Miss World 2014 winner, which is Rolene Strauss, the other highlight of the coronation came when the candidates surprised "Beauty With a Purpose" founder and Miss World chair Julia Morley with a tribute in the form of a song number. Morley was then greeted by Miss World 1994, Bollywood royalty Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Miss World 1953 Denise Perrier, and Miss World 2013 Megan Young.

Before Rolene Strauss was hailed as Miss World 2014 winner, reigning queen Megan Young of the Philippines also spoke about her sentiments during her time with the organization. As reported by a local Filipino news, she also served as the host of the event.

"It's not just a legacy for myself, but a legacy for Filipinos," she said in a video before the winner was announced. Young also gave an advice to her successor saying, "Be ready for challenges, be ready for anything that comes your way."

This 2014, the Miss World pageant was shaken by the murder of Miss Honduras finalist Maria Jose Alvarado, who was shot dead along with her sister last month. To honor the girls, the pageant's winner, Rolene Strauss will travel to the violence-hit Central American nation to build a school named for them.

After being hailed as the Miss World 2014 winner, Rolene Strauss offered her success to South Africa.

"South Africa this is for you," Strauss said. "I think I will brace myself for what's about to happen. It's a huge responsibility."

pre post  |  next post
More Sections