French contestant, 23, crowned Miss Universe
MANILA, Philippines — A 23-year-old dental student from France won the Miss Universe crown today in the annual pageant held in the Philippines, saying her triumph will make the beauty contest more popular in Europe and help her efforts to put more underprivileged children in school.
Iris Mittenaere from Lille city in northern France buried her face in her hands in shock and joy as the outgoing winner from the Philippines, Pia Wurtzbach, crowned her and the crowd erupted in cheers at the packed Mall of Asia Arena by Manila Bay.
Miss Haiti, Raquel Pelissier, a 25-year-old survivor of the devastating 2010 earthquake that destroyed her hometown, was named first runner-up, while Miss Colombia, 23-year-old industrial designer and photographer Andrea Tovar, was second runner-up.
“I think France and Europe really need a Miss Universe,” Mittenaere said in a post-pageant news conference when asked how her countrymen would receive her victory, the first by a French woman in more than 60 years.
The beauty contest has not been as popular in France as in other countries, she said, but “French people will love it now and every year they will be watching Miss Universe.”
“I’m very proud to bring this crown to Europe,” she said.
Mittenaere said she would focus during her reign on helping all children, especially girls, attend school.
Pelissier said surviving Haiti’s quake, which officials in her country estimated killed more than 300,000 people and displaced more than 1.5 million others, and her pageant success underscored her rise from adversity because she “chose to be a very positive person and learned a great lesson from it.”
Eighty-six candidates vied in this year’s pageant, which was formerly owned by Donald Trump.
Judges initially selected a dozen candidates, with a 13th picked through online balloting involving 100 million votes worldwide.
