With all the pomp and circumstance surrounding the 69th edition of the Miss World pageant, viewers in over 150 countries worldwide watched as Miss Jamaica World Toni-Ann Singh was crowned Miss World 2019. Ophely Mezino of France and Suman Rao of India were the first and second runners up of the beauty pageant respectively.
Miss World 2019, a 23-year-old Bath, St Thomas native, won the title out of a field of 110 competitors from around the world. The pageant was held on Saturday, December 14 at the ExCeL London convention centre in London, England.
Miss Singh is the fourth Jamaican to be crowned Miss World and first since Lisa Hanna took home the title in 1993. Her predecessors include Carole Joan Crawford in 1963 and Cindy Breakspeare in 1976.
"London watch out…” read the closing statement on an update from the Miss World official website. This following Singh’s stellar solo in the talent competition at the Beauty with a Purpose Gala Dinner in London on Tuesday. Singh took to the stage yet again to perform what some deemed a hair-raising rendition of Whitney Houston’s I Have Nothing. Back home, at the Miss Jamaica World preliminaries, Singh impressed the judges and took home the Best Talent, Most Photogenic, and Best Personality titles.
It was, however, her win in the talent competition on Tuesday that secured her placement in the Top 40 for the Miss World pageant. Loop News knew then that Singh was a top contender. She later advanced to the top five, sharing the stage with Miss Nigeria Nyekachi Douglas, Miss Brazil Elis Coelho, Miss India Suman Ratan Singh Rao, and Miss France Ophely Mezino.
Trivia
Miss Jamaica 1963 is the shortest woman in history to win Miss World. She is 5 feet 3 inches tall.
Cindy Breakspeare is the mother of Damian Marley, son of reggae icon Bob Marley.
Joan McDonald was the first to hold the official title of Miss Jamaica WORLD. She is also the first winner of African descent.
Lisa Hanna is currently a Member of Parliament and former Minister of Youth and Culture.