Miss Philippines Catriona Gray has earned herself the title of Miss Universe 2018, becoming the 4th Filipina to win the Miss Universe crown, after Gloria Diaz (1969), Margie Moran (1973), and Pia Wurtzbach (2015).
The 24-year-old was crowned the winner of the prestigious beauty pageant on Sunday in Bangkok, Thailand. Miss South Africa Tamaryn Green was the 1st runner-up and Miss Venezuela Sthefany Gutiérrez was the 2nd runner-up.
Steve Harvey returned as the host and Ashley Graham co-hosted alongside Carson Kressley and Lu Sierra.
In honour of Miss Philippines winning Miss Universe 2018, here are 5 things to know about Catriona Gray.
1. Winner of 2 prestigious beauty pageant titles in Philippines
Gray is the titleholder of both Miss Universe Philippines 2018 and Miss World Philippines 2016. 2 years ago, she was one of the Top 5 finalists at Miss World 2016 held in Washington D.C, United States. Now, she is the winner for Miss Universe 2018. Congrats!
2. Hopes to end poverty in Manila
During the final question of Miss Universe pageant, Gray revealed that she often works in the slums of Manilla. Even before joining the pageant, Gray has been actively trying to help end poverty through her advocacy project called Paraiso: The Bright Beginnings Project.
3. Loves singing
Gray has Master’s Certificate in Music Theory from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Gray has previously confessed that if she wasn’t a beauty queen she would pursue music more seriously.
4. Has a signature runway move
Catriona Gray did all these. I don’t want to assume but dang this girl is such a fighter, the way she walks, the way she speaks, the way she smiles, every single thing she does? She do it at it’s finest. Plus i’m loving her confidence. #MissUniverse2018
https://t.co/Er4Ky3amaQ— ☾ (@ursupremoon) December 13, 2018
Gray inserted an elegant twirl during her swimsuit walk at the preliminary competition and it has gone viral on social media, gaining the attention of many people including supermodel Tyra Banks! The move has been known as the “slow-mo twirl”.
5. A legit martial artist
Gray is more than just a pretty face, she is also a a proud martial artist with a black belt in Choi Kwang-Do. For those who didn’t know, Choi Kwang-Do is a martial art developed by Kwang Jo Choi, a former South Korean national champion in taekwondo. The martial art employs yoga-based stretching to develop the flexibility of practitioners.
Sources: E!Online, Heavy, Hollywood Life.
