India's Rachel Gupta wins Miss Grand International 2024
India's Rachel Gupta is the new Miss Grand International!
In a stunning victory, the 20-year-old Indian model clinched the Miss Grand International 2024 crown, defeating the Philippines' CJ Opiaza at the 12th edition of the pageant held on Oct. 25 at the MGI Hall in Bangkok, Thailand.
She will now take over the reign of Luciana Fuster Guzmán of Peru.
During the question and answer portion, she and the other Top 5 candidates were given 45 seconds to answer the question: “What do you think is the most critical issue in the world today that needs to be resolved and what solutions do you propose?"
Gupta highlighted poverty as the most pressing issue facing the world, especially in her home country, attributing it to overpopulation and a scarcity of resources.
She said: "Namaste. I believe the most critical issue the world is facing today is poverty due to overpopulation and lack of resources. Simply put, there isn't enough for everybody on this planet. I think it's time for world leaders to take accountability and to start promoting the idea of enough resources for everybody. We can do this by promoting birth control methods in the different countries. I come from a country India, where not everybody has access to food, water, education, and basic amenities, and this is true for most of the world. It's time for us to stop fighting with each other and start respecting one other and making sure there are enough resources for everyone on this planet."
The Miss Grand International 2024 pageant awarded third place to Myanmar's Thae Su Nyein, fourth place to France's Safiétou Kabengele, and fifth place to Brazil's Talita Hartmann.
In addition to the main titles, the Miss Grand International pageant also awarded several special honors. Miss Indonesia was named Charming by Chat Cosmetics, while Thailand and Myanmar were recognized for their beauty with the Beauty Skin by Hya Booster Serum award. Myanmar also claimed the I'Aura Queen title.
Brazil, Ecuador, and Honduras were honored for their stunning national costumes, with Brazil additionally winning the Best in Swimsuit award. Ghana took home the Best Evening Gown title, while India was awarded the Miss Popular Vote.
Thailand was recognized as the Country's Power of the Year, and Trinidad and Tobago received the Grand Voice Award.
This year’s Miss Grand International had 69 candidates battling for the crown with the theme “Spirit of Thailand.”