Chelsea Manalo ends Miss Universe journey as Top 30 semifinalist, becomes first-ever Miss Universe Asia

A Queen in our hearts! 👑❤️

Chelsea Manalo made history as the first-ever “Miss Universe Asia” after concluding her Miss Universe 2024 journey as one of the Top 30 semifinalists, falling short of advancing to the Top 12.

The coronation night of the 73rd Miss Universe competition was held at the Arena Ciudad de México on Sunday, Nov. 16.

Despite delivering a strong performance during the swimsuit round with her “Tampisaw Walk”, Manalo did not secure a spot in the Top 12, failing to become the fifth Filipina Miss Universe.

Taking home the coveted Miss Universe 2024 crown was Denmark’s Victoria Kjær Theilvig, who bested 124 other candidates from around the world and succeeding Miss Universe 2023 Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua.

Theilvig’s victory marks the first for Denmark in the pageant’s history.

Victoria was crowned with the dazzling “Lumière de l’Infini” or “Light of Infinity” crown, a masterpiece designed by the renowned Filipino luxury jewelry brand Jewelmer.

The crown features rare golden-hued pearls South Sea pearls, among the rarest in the world, which was reportedly sourced from Palawan’s pristine waters and underwent a meticulous farming process spanning four to five years and 377 steps.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Chidimma Adetshina claimed the 1st Runner-Up title, while Mexico’s Maria Fernanda Beltran secured 2nd Runner-Up. Rounding out the top five were Thailand’s Opal Suchata Chuangsri as 3rd Runner-Up and Venezuela’s Ileana Marquez as 4th Runner-Up.

Following the end of the 73rd edition of the prestigious pageant, the Miss Universe Organization awarded four “continental queen” titles, recognizing Manalo for Asia, Nigeria’s Adetshina for Africa and Oceania, Finland’s Matilda Wirtavuori for Europe and the Middle East, Peru’s Tatiana Calmell for the Americas.

For this, Chelsea made history as the first-ever “Miss Universe Asia” during a post-pageant press conference where she received her sash and title while wearing the evening gown (made by Filipino designer Manny Halasan) that she would supposedly wear during the pageant’s respective segment.

According to Philstar.com, the continuental queens will serve as “ambassadors” for the regions they competed their titles for.

Chelsea will be set to travel and join some of the official trips of the Miss Universe Organization.

It was also hinted that India, South Africa, Thailand, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Spain, Argentina, or Morocco could be potential host countries in future pageants.

Miss Universe Philippines (MUPh) organization celebrating the milestone by sharing a video of Chelsea greeting her fellow Filipinos on Instagram.

“Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! We are making history as Miss Universe Asia,” the Bulakenya beauty queen proudly declared in the video.

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