Philippines still struggles in Miss World contest
MANY Filipino pageant fans expressed their bewilderment at the exclusion of Gwendolyne
Fourniol during the 71st Miss World competition’s quarterfinals.
Netizens pointed out that the French-Filipino model and student from Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, hurdled the first round of several “fasttrack” events, and yet was not able to penetrate the Top 40 announced during the finale held at the Jio World Convention Center in Mumbai, India, on March 9.
Fourniol was in the Top 32 of the Sports Challenge, Top 25 in the Head-to-Head Challenge, Top 23 in the Talent contest, and Top 20 in the Top Model competition. The winners of these events earn guaranteed spots in the quarterfinals. The Philippines’ representative appeared to be a shoo-in for at least the Top 40 with how she fared during the preliminary contests, observers surmised.
Krystyna Pyszkova from the Czech Republic eventually bagged the crown, besting 111 aspirants for the title.
Yet again, the Miss World pageant has proven to be the most difficult of the major global tilts for the Philippines. The country was only able to win its first, and so far only, “blue crown” when Megan Young emerged victorious in the 63rd edition held in Indonesia in 2013.
More than a decade later, and eight editions afterwards, the Philippines still has not posted a second victory. The closest placement to the crown during the period was Catriona Gray’s Top 5 finish in 2016, two years before she became the fourth Filipina to win in the rival Miss Universe contest.
For many international pageant f o l l owers, t he Philippines is a powerhouse in global pageantry considering the wins and high placements Filipino contenders have been posting. But the Miss World is a different story.
If it is any consolation, another international pageant powerhouse failed to get the call in the recent Miss World competition — Venezuela.
From among the three most enduring major global pageants, the Philippines has collected four crowns in Miss Universe, and recorded six victories in Miss International. In the 23-year-old Miss Earth pageant based in Manila, four Filipino queens have been proclaimed.
The Philippines first sent its representative to the Miss World pageant only in 1966, 15 years since the founding of the London-based tilt in 1951.
Cecilia Amabuyok, who has had a controversial participation in the Miss World pageant when many misunderstood her status for being a nun, recorded the country’s first placement in 1968 when she managed a fourth runner-up finish.
After her, only t hree more Filipino woman posted podium finishes–first runnerup Evangeline Pascual in 1973, second runner-up Ruffa Gutierrez in 1993, and first runner-up Gwendoline Ruais in 2011.