2014 Miss World Winner: Miss South Africa

The 64th Miss World pageant was held on Sunday, December 14th at the ExCel London Exhibition and Convention Centre. After the field of beauties was narrowed down to these 5 beauties,

• Miss Australia, Courtney Thorpe, 24;
• Miss England, Carina Tyrrell, 24;
• Miss Hungary, Edina Kulcsár, age 23;
• Miss South Africa, Rolene Strauss, age 22; and
• Miss USA, Elizabeth Safrit, age 22,

they participated in a Q & A with 30 seconds each to tell the judges why they thought they should win.

When all was said and done, Miss USA was the second runner up and Miss Hungary was the first runner up, and Miss South Africa was crowned by the outgoing title holder, Megan Young of the Philippines.

Strauss is the third South African Miss World. Anneline Kriel, who was actually the first runner-up in 1974, took over the title when the UK winner, Helen Morgan, resigned after 4 days. Penelope Anne Coelene was the South African winner in the 8th Miss World Pageant (1958). The number of countries participating was a lot less back then.

Last month, the murder of Miss Honduras, Maria Jose Alvarado, and her sister, Sofia Trinidad, cast a sad shadow over this year’s pageant. Miss World and other contestants plan to build a school and name it in honor of the sisters in the crime-plagued Central American country.

Other prizes awarded at the event:

• Miss Malaysia won the talent competition;
• There was a 5-way tie (Brazil, Guyana, India, Indonesia and Kenya) in the Beauty with a Purpose section;
• Sporting competition, Miss Finland;
• Multimedia winner, Miss United States;
• Top model: Miss Bosnia and Hercegovina; and
• Beach fashion: Miss Sweden.

1994’s Miss World, Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai, won a special 20-year award for her charitable work with children with cleft palates.