Miss World Karolina Bielawska congratulates Miss Universe 2023 Sheynnis Palacios

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Miss World Karolina Bielawska (left) shares snaps with eventual Miss Universe titleholder Sheynnis Palacios./KAROLINA BIELAWSKA INSTAGRAM IMAGE

MANILA, Philippines — Reigning Miss World Karolina Bielawska congratulated newly-crowned 2023 Miss Universe Sheynnis Palacios from Nicaragua, and shared photos of them together on social media.

“Congratulations sweetheart!” Bielawska said in a post on her personal social media page, which showed two photos of her and Palacios both wearing blue gowns. She had her crown and sash as Miss World in the images, one of which had them blowing kisses to the camera.

Palacios captured the Miss Universe crown on Nov. 18 (Nov. 19 in Manila) in ceremonies held at the Jose Alfonso Pineda Arena in the El Salvadoran capital of San Salvador.

The two ladies competed together in the 70th Miss World pageant. They joined 95 other international delegates when the competition started in Puerto Rico in December 2021, but they were all sent home midway through the pageant calendar because of a COVID-19 outbreak.

Bielawska and Palacios were among the Top 40 delegates who were asked to continue with the competition when the organizers resumed the pageant in March 2022. The Philippines’ Tracy Maureen Perez also joined the delegates who were called back.

But Palacios was not the first Miss World alumna to have successfully captured the Miss Universe crown. Before her was 2020 winner Andrea Meza from Mexico who finished second in the 2017 Miss World pageant. The Philippines’ Catriona Gray was in the Top 5 of the 2016 Miss World competition before she was proclaimed 2018 Miss Universe.

Angela Visser from Holland and Mpule Kwelagobe from Botswana also both competed in the Miss World competition before winning in the Miss Universe pageant in 1989 and 1999, respectively. Miss Universe 1992 Michelle McLean from Namibia, meanwhile, placed in the Top 5 of the 1991 Miss World pageant.

The Philippines’ Michelle Marquez Dee, who entered the Top 10 of the recently-concluded Miss Universe pageant, also previously competed in the Miss World pageant. She joined in 2019 and finished in the Top 12.

The Miss Supranational pageant, meanwhile, also greeted its alumnae in the 2023 Miss Universe pageant, first runner-up Anntonia Porsild from Thailand and Top 10 finisher Karla Guilfu from Puerto Rico. “Always family [red heart emoji] Congratulations [Porsild] and [Guilfu] – you made us so proud!” the international pageant posted on social media.

Porsild was crowned Miss Supranational in 2019, while Guilfu finished second in 2021.