Educator aims to be the first Miss World from Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR: Like a warrior stepping into the battlefield, beauty queen Taanusiya Chetty is determined to give her all in her quest to win the country’s first Miss World crown.
The 26-year-old said she is not going to be merely a “festival filler”, but wants to give her best to ensure the Jalur Gemilang flies proudly throughout the competition, which will run until Sept 5 in Vietnam.
“I want to bring home Malaysia’s first Miss World crown. I feel like this is the only time that I have and I promise to nail every single segment (of the competition),” she said recently.
For the Miss World Malaysia 2024/2025 titleholder, every step she takes on the international stage carries a significant responsibility as she will no longer be known simply by her name but will carry the mantle of “Miss Malaysia”.
“Therefore, everything I say and do will reflect the image of the country,” she said, Bernama reported
With her educator background, Taanusiya intends to promote education and humanitarian advocacy on the world stage.
She also said she spent the last 19 months preparing intensively for the beauty pageant, which has helped shape her into a resilient representative of the country.
Adding to the excitement of her journey is the strong support of local fashion designers, who have prepared around 100 exclusive outfits for her.
For the talent segment of the Miss World competition, Taanusiya, who is fluent in Malay, English, Mandarin and Tamil, will showcase tarian silat – the graceful, dance-like performance aspect of the traditional Malay martial arts – which she has trained diligently for nine months.
She said her quest for the Miss World crown is not solely for herself but also to show her students that nothing is impossible when it comes to pursuing their dreams.
“I know that if I come back with the crown, they will also be motivated to dream big and chase after their goals,” she said, urging Malaysians to always have the courage to be themselves and appreciate every opportunity that comes their way.
To date, Malaysia’s best achievement at the Miss World pageant was recorded by Lina Teoh, who finished third in 1998.
Rahimah Orchient Yayah made it into the top 10 in 1994, while Deborah Henry secured a place in the top 16 in 2007.
