Indonesian model makes history in Miss International 2017
An Indonesian model made history when she was crowned Miss International 2017 during a pageant held in Tokyo, Japan last Tuesday night, Nov. 14.
Kevin Lilliana Junaedy, 21, is the first Indonesian to win the title in the 57-year history of the pageant. She was crowned by outgoing Miss International Kylie Verzosa from the Philippines. She beat 70 other women for the title.
Junaedy finished interior design at the Maranatha Christian University in her hometown. Reports said that her name Kevin came from the blockbuster Hollywood film "Home Alone" in which Macaulay Culkin plays the role of a young boy named Kevin McCallister.
First runner- up honors went to Miss Curacao Chanelle de Lau; Miss Venezuela Diana Croce, 2nd runner-up; Miss Australia Amber Dew, 3rd runner-up; and Miss Japan Tsutsui Natsuki, 4th runner-up.
Natsuki is half-Filipino, half-Japanese therapist. She was trained in the Philippines before she competed in the Miss International 2017 beauty contest.
Winners of special awards were Miss Japan, Best in National Costume; Miss Indonesia, Best Dresser; and Miss Australia, Miss Perfect Body.
Miss Philippines Mariel de Leon failed to advance to the Final 15 of the beauty pageant.
Candidates in the Final 15 are: Curacao, Venezuela, Slovakia, United Kingdom, Ghana, Honduras, Japan, Ecuador, Finland, Laos, Indonesia, Panama, Thailand, Australia, South Africa A total of 71 candidates competed in this year's Miss International contest.
The Continental Queens are: Miss International Asia, Korea; Miss International Europe, United Kingdom; Miss International America, Bolivia; Miss International Africa, Ghana; and Miss International Oceania, New Zealand.
The Philippines has already won six times in the 57-year-old beauty contest. Other Filipino winners were Gemma Cruz (1964), Aurora Pijuan (1970), Melanie Marquez (1979), Precious Lara Quigaman (2005), Bea Rose Santiago (2013) and Kylie Verzosa (2016).
Mariel, who stands 5'8, studied cookery at the North Shore International Academy in New Zealand. She plans to open her own cafe in the Philippines.
Aside from cooking, she is a surfer and an opera singer. She describes herself as a homebody who loves being with her dogs.
In 2013, Mariel joined the Bb. Pilipinas beauty pageant for the first time at the age of 19. She placed in the Top 15 that year in the contest won by Ariella Arida.
Mariel has also started shooting for her debut film "Ang Panday," an entry to the 2017 Metro Manila Film Festival.
But Mariel said she is not sure if she would pursue acting, a field in which her parents -- Christopher de Leon and Sandy Andolong -- really excel.
"This is a really a new experience for me. I haven't decided which path I'm gonna do actually so I'm just dipping my clothes in the water and see how it goes. I'll do my best in the movies and we'll see what happens," she said.
Given the chance, Mariel said that she wanted to appear in horror movies. "I really love horror movies. I want screaming and running for my life." - ROBERT REQUINTINA
Comments