Sheynnis Palacios from Nicaragua crowned Miss Universe 2023

 EL SALVADOR: Sheynnis Palacios from Nicaragua was crowned Miss Universe 2023 on Sunday at the Jose Adolfo Pineda Arena in San Salvador, El Salvador. Miss Universe 2022, USA's R'Bonney Gabriel, crowned her on stage as the audience applauded.

Nicaragua, Australia, and Thailand had made it to the final three, but Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua won the competition to become the current Miss Universe 2023. Shweta Sharda, an Indian contestant, qualified for the semi-finals and was ranked in the top 20, however, she failed to enter the top 10 after the swimsuit round.

Michelle Cohn from Guatemala and Maria Camila Avella Montanez from Colombia became the first married mothers to take part in the pageant.

Miss Universe official Twitter page shared the pictures of new Miss Universe 2023 and wrote in the caption, "MISS UNIVERSE 2023 IS @sheynnispalacio".

Sheynnis Palacios is the first Nicaraguan to earn the title. She won the competition with an outstanding response to the final question.

"If you could spend a year in the shoes of another woman, who would you choose and why?" "I will choose Mary Wollstonecraft because she opened the gap and they gave many women an opportunity," she said of her choice. What I would do is want that difference, that pay gap, to close so that women may work in any field they choose since there are no limitations for women. It was 1750. Now, in 2023, we're making history by breaking down gender barriers and establishing equal chances for women."

Palacios previously participated in Miss World 2021 as Miss World Nicaragua 2020, finishing in the Top 40. She was later elected Miss Universe Nicaragua 2023, becoming the country's representative in the contest.

During her victorious run, she also became the fifth Nicaraguan to reach the pageant's semifinals.

She was born on May 31, 2000, in Managua, Nicaragua. She studied at the Universidad Centroamericana and pursued a degree in mass communication. At the same time, she also played varsity volleyball for the university.

Palacios's pageantry debut was in 2016 when she won the Miss Teen Nicaragua 2016 pageant. As Miss Teen Nicaragua 2016, Palacios represented her country in Teen Universe 2017, in Managua, Nicaragua where she placed in the Top 10.

On May 16, 2020, representing the capital Managua, she won the Miss World Nicaragua 2020 crown.

Palacios represented her nation at the Miss World 2021 competition in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2022, at the 70th edition of the Miss World pageant. Palacios was in the Top 40, with the winner being Karolina Bielawska of Poland.

Despite life's challenges, Palacios has embraced positivity, and launched Entiende tu mente (Understand Your Mind), focusing on mental health awareness and destigmatization. She has been always vocal about mental health issues.

The 72nd Miss Universe pageant was hosted in El Salvador, with contestants from around 90 nations were part of the competition.

Shweta Sharda of India, wearing a colourful glitter swimsuit, and Erica Robin of Pakistan, wearing a burkini, failed to qualify for the swimwear round and so did not advance to the evening gown competition. (ANI)

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