from Denmark, Victoria Kjaer Theilvig won the title of Miss Universe 2024.
As the first Dane to win the title, Victoria Kjær Theilvig of Denmark was proclaimed Miss Universe 2024.
A competitive dancer, businesswoman, and future lawyer, the 21-year-old defeated over 120 competitors to win the annual beauty pageant in Mexico City on Saturday night.
Other competitors cheered her on as she took the tiara from Nicaragua’s Sheynnis Palacios, the current champion.
“Saved by the Bell” star Mario Lopez and former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo presented this year’s finale, which included a performance by musician Robin Thicke.
Based on the outcomes of Thursday’s preliminary event, which included a flashy national costume contest, the contestants were reduced to a shortlist of 30 before the glamorous pageant got underway. Twelve of the semi-finalists proceeded to an evening gown competition after they paraded in swimwear.
Later, the top five competitors were questioned on a variety of subjects, such as resilience and leadership. Theilvig responded to the judges’ question on how she would live differently if no one were to judge her by replying, “I live by each day.”
Theilvig subsequently said, “Keep fighting … no matter where you come from,” in response to a question about what she would say to people watching.
She stated, “I’m standing here today because I want to make history and I want a change, and that’s what I’m doing tonight.”
Maria Fernanda Beltran of Mexico placed second, while Chidimma Adetshina of Nigeria took top place. Ileana Marquez Pedroza of Venezuela and Suchata Chuangsri of Thailand came next; Pedroza, a 28-year-old mother, made history in the top five after the competition lifted a number of limitations in recent years.
In the 72-year history of Miss Universe, ladies beyond the age of 28 were allowed to compete for the first time this year. Beatrice Njoya of Malta became the first and only woman in her 40s to make it to the grand finale, while over two dozen of the finalists were older than would have been permitted in prior years.
As calls for the pageant to modernize grew, the age limit was lifted. The Miss Universe Organization has abolished a long-standing bar on women who are or have ever been married, as well as pregnant women and mothers, ahead of the 2023 competition.
Local pageants that license local rights from the Miss Universe Organization were used to choose the delegates for each nation. Marianela Ancheta represented Cuba in this year’s competition, marking the country’s first participation in Miss Universe since 1967. The Miss Universe Organization took action in April to refute a wave of what it described as “false and misleading” rumors that Saudi Arabia would be making its debut in the 2024 pageant, but several nations, including Belarus, Eritrea, and the United Arab Emirates, sent participants for the first time.
In the run-up to this year’s final, a number of national-level competitions were plagued by controversy. For example, Adetshina was forced to withdraw from Miss Universe South Africa (and subsequently chosen to represent Nigeria) because her nationality triggered a wave of xenophobic animosity.
A few weeks after Palacios won the title, Karen Celebertti, the director of the Miss Universe Nicaragua pageant, resigned last December due to accusations of treason and conspiracy. She was charged with conspiring to topple the government, together with her husband and son.