Khalia Hall wins Miss Jamaica World 2021

Published:Saturday | October 9, 2021 | 10:04 PM

Miss Jamaica 2021 is Khalia Hall. Hall is wearing an avant-garde design by Saffron Brown. DASH Productions

Fifteen contestants took the stage, but only one could win the crown.

At the end of the night — Khalia Hall — who wore the sash Miss General Food Supermarket, was named Miss Jamaica World 2021.

Hall, the Fast Track Top Model competition winner, was crowned by Miss World 1976 Cindy Breakspeare — who stood in for Miss World 2019 Toni-Ann Singh — at the Courtleigh Auditorium.

Dominique Shorter was named first runner-up, while actress Melessa Vassell was named second runner-up.

SECTIONAL AWARDS

Five sectional awards were presented. Miss Whitter Village Toni-Ann Lalor claimed the award for Best Personality; Miss TM Ross Beauty Shinell Mills, the contestant selected — Most Congenial; Miss Nationwide News Brithney Clarke, the Multimedia Award; Miss LP Azar Jamela Rookwood, Most Photogenic and Miss Mushroom Kerrion Erskine, Most Improved.

Hall, who is from St Ann, is head cook and bottle washer at plant-based food delivery service, Shibumi Jamaica, and a food blogger at Mix Up and Blenda.

A graduate of the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, she has a masters in mechanical engineering. She describes herself as a health and nutrition enthusiast and mechanical engineer-turned-foodie, and has long had a desire to be a part of the Miss Jamaica World competition. She said entering the pageant was something "in the back of my mind from I was a little girl".

70TH MISS WORLD COMPETITION

The 25-year-old beat 14 other contestants to represent Jamaica at the 70th staging of the Miss World pageant.

She will be dressed by a list of Jamaica designers, including Saffron Brown, who dressed her throughout the competition and is the winner of the Best National Costume Award; Tonii Dyce, winner of Best Runway Look Award; Simone McGowan, winner of Best Commercial Look Award; Lisa-Kay Campbell, winner of Best Avant-Garde Look Awards and Mercy-Ann Copeland, winner of the Best Overall Look and Jamaica Business Development Corporation Top Designer awards.

The Miss World grand coronation will be held at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico Jose Miguel Agrelot in San Juan on December 16.

Some 123 nations are set to compete for the Miss World 2021 crown, currently held by Singh. The fourth Jamaican to win the Miss World title, she is the longest-reigning Miss World owing to the coronavirus pandemic and the postponement of the 2020 competition.

https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/entertainment/20211009/khalia-hall-wins-miss-jamaica-world-2021