Miss Earth 2019 crowns its first Puerto Rican winner



Dusky model Nelly Pimentel bested 85 lovely candidates from around the world to take the Miss Earth 2019 title for the first time to her country of Puerto Rico during coronation night held at the Cove, Okada Hotel Manila on Saturday. She was crowned by outgoing Miss Earth 2018 Phuong Khánh Nguyen.

Pimentel, a 22-year-old, Marketing and Psychology student from San Juan was born of parents from the Dominican Republic. She became the 10th Puerto Rican to win a major international crown adding to the 5 Miss Universe, 2 Miss World and 2 Miss International winners her country has produced.

Pimentel’ four elemental court of beauties, all on equal level to be tapped once Pimentel could not perform her duties as Miss Earth, are Miss USA Emanii Davis, Miss Air; Miss Czech Republic Klara Vavruskova, Miss Water; and Miss Belarus Alisa Manenok, Miss Fire.

Pimentel was asked the Top 4 final question by host James Deakin “There are
many people, including some notable international leaders, who still don't believe in climate change. How would you convince them of the seriousness of this problem?” To which Pimentel said, "I would have to say that addressing this issue of people not believing in climate change is more of, a matter of lack of education. Not only lack of education but also the ignorance and not wanting to inform themselves of the fact that we are living in a planet that this is our biggest home, and we have taken advantage of it instead of putting back what it is giving to us. Making notable leaders and influencers engage with themselves and becoming better people is the most important thing to do."

Rounding up the top 10 were Russia’s Anna Baksheeva,  Chile’s Fernanda Méndez Tapia, the Netherlands’ Nikki Prein, New Zealand’s Tashan Kapene, Nigeria’s Modupe Susan Garland and Poland’s Krystyna Sokołowska.

The rest of the Top 20 are Guam, Guyana, Portugal, Japan, Ghana, England, Thailand, Spain, Colombia, Nigeria and the Philippines’ Janelle Tee, who like Miss Philippines’ Klyza Castro in the recent Miss Asia Pacific International 2019 pageant held in the country, failed to make the Top 10 cut. (by Eton Concepcion / Photo by Edmund Chua)

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