Victoria Kjaer, representative of Denmark, is crowned Miss Universe 2024 in Mexico City
The 21-year-old professional dancer beat 130 contestants, the highest number in this pageant, which was celebrating its 73rd edition.
Victoria Kjaer, representative of Denmark, is Miss Universe 2024. She was crowned Miss Universe Saturday night at the pageant held in Mexico City, which featured women who are mothers for the first time. The U.S. representative placed outside the top 30 of the contest.
The 21-year-old professional dancer beat 130 contestants, the largest number in this contest, which celebrated its 73rd edition.
The first finalist, who would wear the crown should Kjar face any impediment, was Chidimma Adetshina, a law student representing Nigeria. Mexico's Fernanda Beltran emerged as the runner-up, followed by Thailand's Suchata Chuangsri and Venezuela's Ileana Marquez.
"Surrounded by love and support! Our Miss Universe contestants shower congratulations on our new queen, Denmark," the Miss Universe organization wrote on its Instragram account.
This is the fifth time Mexico has hosted the pageant, which has been held since 1952. Last January, the company Legacy Holding, based in that country, acquired 50% of the shares of Miss Universe.
In 2023, Nicaragua's Sheynnis Palacios was crowned, and the celebration of her victory sparked the largest wave of protests in Nicaragua since the 2018 street protests shook the government of Daniel Ortega.