Denmark’s Victoria Kjær Theilvig wins Miss Universe 2024

(CNN) — Victoria Kjær Theilvig of Denmark has been crowned Miss Universe 2024, becoming the first Dane to ever win the competition.

The 21-year-old, a competitive dancer, entrepreneur, and aspiring lawyer, beat more than 120 other contestants to win the annual beauty pageant in Mexico City on Saturday night.

She was applauded by other contestants on stage as she accepted the tiara from reigning titleholder Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua.

This year’s finale featured a performance by singer Robin Thicke and was hosted by “Saved by the Bell” star Mario Lopez and former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo.

The glitzy pageant began with contestants being narrowed down to a shortlist of 30, based on the results of Thursday’s preliminary event, which included a flamboyant national costume contest. The semi-finalists then paraded in swimwear, before 12 of them advanced to an evening gown contest.

The final five contestants later faced questions on a range of topics, including leadership and resilience. When asked how she would live differently if nobody would judge her, Theilvig told the judges she wouldn’t change anything, saying, “I live by each day.”

When later asked what she would say to those watching, Theilvig urged viewers to “keep fighting … no matter where you come from.”

“I stand here today because I want a change, I want to make history, and that’s what I’m doing tonight,” she said.

Chidimma Adetshina of Nigeria finished as first runner-up and Maria Fernanda Beltran of Mexico was named second runner-up. Suchata Chuangsri of Thailand and Ileana Marquez Pedroza of Venezuela followed – with Pedroza, a 28-year-old mother, making history in the top five after the competition removed several restrictions in recent years.

This year marked the first time in Miss Universe’s 72-year history that women aged over 28 were permitted to enter. More than two dozen of the finalists were older than would have been allowed in previous years, with Malta’s Beatrice Njoya becoming the first and only woman in her 40s to reach the grand finale.

The age limit’s removal came amid growing calls for the pageant to modernize. Ahead of 2023’s contest, the Miss Universe Organization also lifted a longstanding ban on pregnant women or mothers, and women who are — or ever have been — married.

Delegates for each country were selected via local pageants that license local rights from the Miss Universe Organization. This year’s contest saw Cuba, represented by Marianela Ancheta, take part in Miss Universe for the first time since 1967. Several countries, including Belarus, Eritrea and the United Arab Emirates, sent contestants for the first time, though in April the Miss Universe Organization moved to dispel a flurry of what it called “false and misleading” reports that Saudi Arabia was due to make its debut in the 2024 pageant.

Some national-level contests were marred by controversies in the build-up to this year’s final — including Miss Universe South Africa, which saw Adetshina quit the competition (and later be selected to represent Nigeria) after questions around her nationality sparked a wave of xenophobic hostility.

Last December, the director of the Miss Universe Nicaragua contest, Karen Celebertti, resigned just weeks after Palacios took the crown, amid charges of conspiracy and treason. She, along with her husband and son, were accused of involvement in a plot to overthrow the government.

Neither Celebertti nor the Nicaraguan government responded to CNN’s request for comment.

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