Sanya, China — Ireland's Rosanna Davison, the daughter of singer Chris De Burgh, accepted her Miss World tiara on Saturday in this southern Chinese beach resort with minimum fuss.
The 19-year-old waved calmly to the audience as the other contestants hugged and kissed her and gold confetti was fired out of a mock cannon.
“I was just so thrilled about being placed in the top five,” Davison said afterward, with a wide grin. “I didn't think I'd get this far.” She also won the “Beach Beauty” award.
“I'm seriously proud of her,” said De Burgh, best known for his 1986 hit The Lady in Red, of his daughter, who wore a fuchsia dress during the competition.
Miss Ireland Rosanna Davison, centre, was crowned Miss World on Saturday. She is flanked by Canada's Nazanin Afshin-Jam, left, the first runner-up and China's Qi Guan, right, the second runner-up. (Associated Press)
The first runner up was Miss Canada Nazanin Afshin-Jam.
The host country's Miss China, Guan Qi, was second runner up in the competition that saw 106 contestants seeking the Miss World title.
A spokesman for Miss World Canada said he was thrilled to see 24-year-old Afshin-Jam take runner-up in the pageant.
“Nazanin is an ideal example of a Canadian,” Jimmy Steele, a vice-president of Miss World Canada, said from Toronto. “She is articulate, educated, well-rounded and a fantastic individual.”
Born in Iran and now living in Vancouver, she holds degrees from the University of British Columbia in international relations and political science. She is studying broadcast journalism and wants to be a foreign correspondent.
The contestants' bright smiles never faltered as they sashayed and twirled across the stage in outfits of every hue during the tightly scheduled two-hour event, which marked China's entry into the beauty pageant scene.
The competition will be held again in China next year, although the city hasn't been decided, said Miss World President Julia Morley.
“Why not China again? There's so much to see here, there's so much to do,” Morley said. “Already it's placed Sanya on the map, and now we have to look to see whether we continue going down that road or look for a new place to develop.”
It won't be the first time that Miss World will be held in the same country two years in a row. South Africa played host five years running, Morley said.
There were no signs of disruptions, unlike last year when the pageant was hastily moved to London from Nigeria following deadly fights between Muslims and Christians.
The rioting erupted after a Nigerian newspaper suggested the Muslim prophet Muhammad would have approved of the Miss World pageant and might have wanted to marry a contestant.
“When I was a child, I watched Miss World on television and thought, ‘There were a lot of fantastic girls, but no Miss China,'” said second runner-up Guan, 21, who wore a red gown embroidered with gold dragons.
“I'm happy I could make it happen.”
Earlier on stage, the fashion designer from the country's northeast Jilin province fired up the crowd with a patriotic, “I love you, China!”
Hours before the competition began, hundreds of people lined the streets in the hope of catching a glimpse of the contestants outside the tiara-shaped convention hall built specially for the event at a cost of $15.5 million (Canadian).
“They're so beautiful,” said Wu Chang, one of four 18-year-old friends who attend college nearby and who planned their outing to Sanya a month ago. “It's a luxury if we see them.”
