Miss Supranational Philippines 2023 Pauline Amelinckx. Image: Instagram/@the_missphilippines
MANILA, Philippines — Pauline Amelinckx, the country’s representative to the 2023 Miss Supranational pageant, topped her “Suprachat” group and entered the Top 10 of the global tilt’s online challenge, the Poland-based competition announced on social media late in the evening on June 22.
The Miss Supranational pageant divided this year’s delegates into 10 groups for the Suprachat challenge, with the winners of each group moving on to the next phase of the online contest. The winners were determined from online views and votes garnered by the delegates.
Amelinckx belonged to the final group of contestants, which included the delegates from Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Zimbabwe, Ukraine and the United States. Filipino-Scottish Alexa Grant, who is representing Canada in the international pageant, has also won in her group and will join the Belgian-Filipino bet in the online contest’s semifinals.
Commenting on the Miss Supranational Instagram page, Amelinckx said she was “incredibly grateful” for winning this round.
Also moving to the Suprachat’s Top 10 with Amelinckx and Grant are Brazil’s Sancler Frantz from Group 1, Romania’s Ioana-Izabela Hotaran from Group 2, India’s Pragnya Ayyagari from Group 3, South Africa’s Ayanda Thabethe from Group 4, Nicaragua’s Katherine Burgos from Group 5, Haiti’s Merlie Feurizard from Group 6, Peru’s Valeria Florez from Group 8, and the United Kingdom’s Emma Collingridge from Group 9.
Amelinckx is aiming to give the Philippines its second Miss Supranational victory, 10 years after Mutya Johanna Datul became the first Filipino woman to capture the crown in 2013. From 2014 to 2022, the country’s representatives have consistently placed in the competition, either in the Top 25, Top 20, or Top 10. Binibining Pilipinas first runner-up Elaine Kay Moll finished fourth in the global tilt’s 2012 edition.
During her sendoff press conference held at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Quezon City on June 22, Amelinckx revealed that the delegates’ Suprachat videos were recorded individually. “I haven’t actually been able to speak with (my fellow delegates) virtually. But I have been able to somehow reach out to other girls,” she said.
She also assured the Filipino people that she has been training relentlessly since capturing her Miss Supranational Philippines title after finishing in the Top 3 of the 2023 Miss Universe Philippines pageant last month. As the first winner of her batch to compete abroad, Amelinckx did not have any time to take a breather, and just went on to pick up from her national pageant preparations.
“I don’t really have much of a break to take for myself. But I think that’s a good thing. Perhaps, at least, the momentum can continue rising. And then also I don’t allow any time or place for complacency,” shared Amelinckx, who earned her crown on her third time joining the Miss Universe Philippines pageant.
As her international pageant will conduct a counterpart male competition almost simultaneously, with the Mister Supranational finals taking place the day after the women’s contest, she was joined by the country’s male delegate, Johannes Rissler, at the sendoff press conference.
‘Supra’ duo Pauline Amelinckx (right) and Johannes Rissler/ARMIN P. ADINA
The pair said that although no country has ever won both the Miss Supranational and Mister Supranational titles in the same year, they believe it can be done. “All I can say is one sentence: Nothing is impossible,” Rissler declared. Amelinckx said, “it is definitely possible, especially with this ‘Supra’ duo.”
The two have undergone question-and-answer training sessions together, Amelinckx shared. “I think we somehow bring out certain aspects of ourselves by helping each other. I really admire how very down to Earth Johannes is, and how he’s also very passionate about his music. And I really look forward to him being able to also bring that into the Mister Supranational stage,” she added.
The 2023 Miss Supranational pageant will hold its final competition at the Strzelecki Park Amphitheater in Nowy Sacz, Poland, on July 14 (July 15 in Manila), while the 2023 Mister Supranational contest will be held in the same venue on July 15 (July 16 in Manila). EDV