The National Competition took place on October 7, hours before the pivotal Preliminary rounds. If anything, it adheres to recent trends, where fantasy and spectacle now take precedence over culture and tradition. On a side note, it also, in effect, confirmed the withdrawal of Switzerland‘s Sarah-Louise Rohrer, who was originally expected to arrive late, but was ultimately absent in those crucial presentations. Judging from her IG story updates, she was very much determined to make it to Bangkok, but a cancelled flight decided matters for her.
It’s a shame, since it’s been years since we’ve seen a Swiss of such potential. Hopefully, she gets her global shot in another year. Here’s my assessment of the final batch.
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SINGAPORE – Nicole Nisha Bacon. To date, the garden city remains the lone ASEAN to not catch a Grand Break. That might not necessarily change this year, but it sent a strong one in this all-around performer.
SLOVAK REPUBLIC – Viktória Kloknerová. The former Czechoslovakia’s southern half placed in the maiden edition, but hasn’t followed through since. This theater management student’s one if its best since 2013, but is so far overshadowed.
SOUTH AFRICA – Estèe-Mari Smit. She’s a gorgeous teen blonde but, outside of her Grand Talent nod, she’s overpowered. Imagine what more experience could bring out in her.
SOUTH KOREA – Lang Sa. Just like Jamaica, Macau, and Portugal, the country’s lone placement happened 10 years ago – and this case, through Fan Vote. This former flight attendant isn’t touted to end that drought.
SOUTH SUDAN – Akoi Arok. It’s been 10 years since Teresa Yuol became the Godmother of Over-The-Top Intros, and nine since Eyga Mogus cracked the Top 10. High time the world’s youngest nation made a comeback. But, while this Aussie-based lawyer has merit, other Africans take precedence.
SPAIN – Alba Maria Ruiz. With eight placements over the past decade, this kingdom owes most of its recent success here. This primary education graduate isn’t pegged to beat last year’s record high, and she might have to fight extra hard for a slot.
SRI LANKA – Nethaki Lokugamage. Again, had the contest stayed put in India, this psychology student would have been in far better contention. Here, she is sadly overlooked, even if she’s undeniably gorgeous. Pinoys might even liken her to former Bb. Pilipinas-Intercontinental, Gabrielle Basiano.
TAIWAN – Xingxue Yan. She’s not pegged as a contender but, these days, seeing this sash compete is already an achievement enough.
TANZANIA – Jihan Rohin Dimack. Even in Miss Universe 2016 held in Manila, she was already a contender – not necessarily of the shoo-in kind, but definitely of the “I see you” kind. Experts saw her, all right, even if the judges ultimately didn’t. That was then. Now, it’s inevitably a different story. At 30, she’s making the most of her Grand return, reminding fans of her competitive edge and upgrading it thousandfold. There’s no second-guessing her chances now. This time, she’ll fight to the end. And maybe it’s high time an African sash prevailed here.
THAILAND – Patthama Jitsawat. It must take a lot of prudence for the home base to not yet win the Grand Crown at this point. This business graduate might not hit that milestone yet, but she put on a show nonetheless. Expect her to at least continue the tradition of placements.
TÜRKIYE – Ronika Bașaran. She’s a gorgeous model and entrepreneur, but is largely overlooked.
UNITED KINGDOM – Pooja Ghodekar. Presumably, this Mumbai-born entrepreneur was selected with the erstwhile host country in mind. Now that the contest’s back in Bangkok, however, the buzz has understandably fizzled. Too bad, as she’s a worthy contender.
URUGUAY – Francie Millan. This entrepreneur brought honor to Louisiana in both Miss USA and Miss Grand USA. Little did she know that the latter stint would earn her the right to represent her land of birth here. Perhaps she could bring forth the South American country’s resurgence. We haven’t seen it pass muster – anywhere – in a while.
USA – Victoria Oluwakotanmi. Frankly, the original national winner (with pending cases!) wouldn’t have stood a chance. This Nigerian-born Indiana native deserved it from the get-go. Remember, the first and, so far, only American to win the Grand Crown originated in Africa. Sure, history isn’t unanimously expected to repeat itself, but this military girl can at least fight until the end.
US VIRGIN ISLANDS – Brianna Stern. Curiously, they’re still sending mainlanders to do the actual islanders’ job. This Missouri native has placement-worthy qualities, but isn’t mentioned often. Imagine if she represented the Stars and Stripes instead.
VENEZUELA – Lady Di Mosquera. The one-time host’s not the infallible force it used to be, but when it sends contenders, we’re reminded of its leverage. Expect this artist to be a highlight in this fallow period, if not take it all. And, so what if she wasn’t voted on by her peers?
VIETNAM – Emoura Pham. Given the 2021 winner’s ongoing predicament, we can understand the hunger for redemption. This British-born model might deliver just that with her intriguing background and impeccable projection skills. It may not necessarily be in the form of a second crown, but she’ll rally hard. For one, 14 candidates vouched for her.
ZIMBABWE – Shelly Usman. This stylish aesthetician has stage chops, but she’s probably the least mentioned African in this batch, next to Sierra Leone.
