R’Bonney Gabriel from the United States was crowned the 71st Miss Universe on Saturday evening.
Gabriel, who became the first Filipino-American to be crowned Miss USA last year, took the crown ahead of Amanda Dudamel of Venezuela and Andreína Martínez of the Dominican Republic.
The pageant took place in New Orleans, Louisiana, where 84 women from around the world competed for the crown.
Saturday night was the final day of the competition, with eliminations narrowing down the number of finalists until the bottom two remained.
Coming into the top 5, Gabriel was asked, “Miss Universe recently made an inclusive change allowing mothers and married women to compete this year. What other change would you like to see and why?”
Gabriel replied that she hoped the contest organizers would raise the contestants’ age limit.
“For me I would like to see an age increase because I am 28 years old. And that’s the oldest age to compete. And I think it’s a beautiful thing. My favorite quote is ‘If not now, then when?’ Because as a woman I believe that age does not define us. It’s not tomorrow, it’s not yesterday – but it’s now. The time is now,” she said.
Houston native Gabriel is a model, fashion designer and sewing instructor who prioritizes the environment in her work.
This is an evolving story. More details to come.