Krystyna Pyszková of the Czech Republic was crowned Miss World 2024 on Saturday in Mumbai, India, besting 111 of her fellow titleholders from across the globe. The international pageant, held in Mumbai this year, showcased a series of events during the preliminary competition, including fitness, beauty, talent, and public speaking, where several contestants won ‘fast track’ places in the top 40.
The newly-crowned Miss World, a 23-year-old law student and model, addressed topics discussed at the most recent G20 Summit during the classic Q&A round. When asked to shed light on an issue impacting women’s health care specifically, Pyszková spoke about removing the stigma and shame surrounding menstruation, emphasizing that ‘being a woman is a gift’ and that periods should not be a taboo subject.
Following the Q&A round, the field was further narrowed down to four contestants who ‘pitched their purpose’ to a trio of business moguls from ‘Shark Tank India.’ Each of these four finalists represented a different region of the world: Africa, the Americas and Caribbean, Asia and Oceania, and Europe.
Pyszková’s victory came over three runners-up from Lebanon, Trinidad and Tobago, and Botswana. Miss World, widely viewed as the oldest international beauty pageant, first founded in the United Kingdom in 1951, saw Pyszková replacing the outgoing Miss World, Karolina Bielawska, of Poland, whose reign dates back to March 2022.
Notably, the pageant’s ‘continental winners’ included contestants from England, Africa, the Americas and Caribbean, Asia and Oceania, and Europe. Miss World has seen some of its best-known winners from India, with actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra Jonas being the most prominent. Chopra Jonas appeared at the pageant in a video message, paying tribute to both Miss World owner Julia Morley and Nita Ambani, winner of the pageant’s Humanitarian Award.
The event was a celebration of beauty, talent, and purpose, with Krystyna Pyszková emerging as the new face of Miss World, bringing her vision and voice to the global stage.
