Washington (USA), 15 January: Miss USA R'Bonney Gabriel was crowned Miss Universe on Sunday at a glittering and dizzying pageant in New Orleans, Louisiana.
She was one of 84 beauty queens competing for the coveted fashion crown.
Miss India Universe 2018 Divita Rai, who represented the country in the 71st edition of the pageant, placed in the top 16 but fell short of the top 5.
Gabriel is a model, fashion designer, and sewing instructor, according to Deadline, a US-based news outlet. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Fashion Design with a minor in Fibers from the University of North Texas. Gabriel also has her own environmentally friendly clothing line.
The first Filipino-American to be crowned Miss USA, her "mission is for women and young girls to see themselves in her and feel inspired to conquer their goals by owning who they are," according to her official bio. Miss Dominican Republic Andreina Martinez Founier was named second runner-up, while Miss Venezuela Amanda Dudamel was named first runner-up. Miss USA was crowned Miss Universe for the first time in 11 years. Last year's winner was Indian beauty queen Harnaaz Sandhu. Meanwhile, Sofia Depassier of Chile was named Miss Congeniality, Sofia Depassier of Chile was named Social Impact Award winner, and Anna Sueangam-iam of Thailand was named Spirit of Carnival Award winner.
The pageant's host revealed that the next edition will be held in El Salvador.
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