Miss Intercontinental Karen Gallman: 'We did it Philippines!'



"We did it Philippines!"

Thus said Filipino-Australian beauty queen Karen Gallman few days after she was crowned Miss Intercontinental 2018, the first for the Philippines in 47 years.

On Instagram, Gallman said: "I’m so proud to bring our nation its first Intercontinental crown. The overwhelming support from you all has been amazing and I can’t thank you all enough nor have done it without you. This crown is not just for me, its for all of you and a representation of what we can achieve as a nation. Keep pushing to be the best version of yourself by “always looking up to God and being thankful for everything;

"Thank you to my MIC queens, chaperones and the team for a wonderful three weeks that I will always cherish!" she added.


The Philippines made another pageant history when Bb. Pilipinas Karen Gallman finally clinched the elusive Miss Intercontinental 2018 crown during a contest held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City last Jan. 26.

Gallman, 26, of Ubay, Bohol edged out 84 other candidates for the crown. She earned the right to represent the Philippines in the international competition after she won Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental last March 18, 2018.

It was the second time for Gallman to join the Bb. Pilipinas pageant, the first time being in 2012 when she only became a finalist.


Just like reigning Miss Universe Catriona Gray, Gallman is a Filipino-Australian beauty. She is also the last Binibini among the current batch of winners to compete in an international contest.

During the final question and answer portion of the Miss Intercontinental 2018 pageant, Gallman was asked a common question: "How do yo define success?"

Gallman answered: "For me, success is not just about winning in life but setting goals and achieving your dreams and working hard for everything you want, and always looking up to God and being thankful for everything. For me that is success."


In full force to cheer for Gallman at the MOA were Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. chair Stella Marquez Araneta, her husband Jorge Araneta, President and CEO of Araneta Group;  BPCI Executive Committee Vice Chair Conchitina Sevilla Bernardo, Raymund Villanueva, and Betsy Westendorp de Brias.

During the pageant's preliminaries, the 5'6 tall beauty queen already picked up two special awards: Media's Choice and Standout Beauty (H&H Makeover Beauty Salon owned by Wilbert Tolentino).

Gallman was trained under the Kagandahang Flores beauty camp of Rodgil Flores. The beauty queen is now engaged to her long-time boyfriend Ian Galton.


For the past years, no Filipino has won the international competition. The highest placement of Filipino contestant in the pageant was 1st runner-up won by Katarina Rodriguez (2017) and Christi Lynn McGarry (2015).

Other winners were: Miss Costa Rica Adriana Moya Alvarado, 1st runner-up; Miss Slovak Republic Laura Longauerova, 2nd runner-up; Miss Colombia Hillary Hollmann, 3rd runner-up; Miss Vietnam, Ngan Anh Au Le, 4th runner-up; and Miss Ethiopia Bella Lire Lapso, 5th runner-up.


Candidates who finished in the Top 20 semifinals were from Ghana, Japan, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Thailand, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Ukraine, Mexico, USA, Paraguay and Ecuador.

From top 20, the number of contestants were narrowed down to six: Ethiopia (Continental Queen, Africa), Philippines (Continental Queen, Asia and Oceania,) Slovak Republic (Continental Queen, Europe), Costa Rica (Continental Queen, North America), and Colombia (Continental Queen, South America). Miss Vietnam was awarded the people's choice. - ROBERT R. REQUNTINA

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