Miss Philippines Megan Young was officially crowned as Miss World 2013 on Sept. 28 in Bali, Indonesia. The 23-year-old Filipino beauty beat out 127 other pageant contestants who represented countries from around the world.
"I promise to be the best Miss World ever," Megan said after winning the 63rd annual event, reports Hollywood Life. Miss France Marine Lorphelin took second place, while Miss Ghana Carranzar Naa Okailey Shooter came in third.
Young was actually born in the United States--Alexandria, Va. to be exact--where she lived until the age of 10, according to New York Daily News. She has appeared on Filipino television shows as an actress and has also been a TV host.
Originally, Miss World 2013 was scheduled to take place in Jakarta, a predominantly Islamic city. However, protesters from the Islamic Defenders Front rallied against it stating that the pageant went against the teachings of Islam and let participants show too much skin.
Event organizers eventually agreed to cut bikinis out of the swimsuit portion of the competition to address complaints of pornography and immorality. Still, opposition in Jakarta continued to grow and just three weeks before the event, the Indonesian government moved Miss World from Jakarta to the Hindu-dominated island of Bali.
Following the move, the event ran smoothly and was broadcast in 180 countries. The pageant was guarded heavily by armed police with water cannons while some 1,000 FPI members held a prayer session at a mosque outside Jakarta.
"The success in securing the Miss World final will be a benchmark for the police in securing the incoming APEC Summit," said Col. R. Umar Faroq, the Director of Vital Security for Bali provincial police.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
