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Arts Reporter
Reigning Miss Zimbabwe Queen, Charlotte Muziri, has won Miss Fitness (Best in Swimsuit) at the just recently held Miss International pageant at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.
Muziri, who is expected to arrive today from the international pageant, could not believe it and was speechless after the announcement of the winner in that category, beating other 69 queens from across the globe.
She said it was a dream come true.
“I was speechless and it was such a surreal moment,” she said. “Immediately after I left the stage, the first person I called to announce the news was my mother. I am over the moon. Hard work pays.
“This title is a love letter to my fitness journey, it’s an award that shows how dedication and hard work can pay off. It will forever be a reminder of how beautiful it is to live a healthy and fit lifestyle.”
The lanky model, who hails from Masvingo, said she was confident in winning the best in fitness and sense of style because she had prepared for it before she left for boot camp.
“I left for Miss International 2023 pageant on October 9,” she said. “I started preparing for the pageant months back after I was crowned Miss Zimbabwe Queen as the organisers highlighted that I would represent the country at the global stage.
“I owe credit to Invictus Fitness and Gym Centre in Westgate who have been helping and grooming me on body fitness. Here are the results.” Muzuri, who always spots her natural short hair, said she wanted to continue with her advocacy and mentorship programme.
Asked who dressed her during the international pageant, Muziri said: “I was dressed by IamCharlie Designs, Sean Scholts, Tendai and Zarguesia.
“My evening gown, the rustic gold hue, reflects the warmth and resilience of the Zimbabwean people, while the rustic elements pay homage to the breath-taking landscapes and traditional craftsmanship found throughout my country.
“To me, every gown I wore had to be a representation of my people and country.”
Social media was agog with congratulatory messages pouring from all corners of Zimbabwe from different model gurus, personalities, agencies and fellow models who believed in her.
Most of them had her picture with captions like: “Mwana wevhu wadadisa, well done Charlotte for representing Zimbawe.”
Miss International 2023 winner went to Andrea Rubio of Venezuela, while second runner up went to Camila Diaz and Philippines model Nicole Borromeo was voted third runner up.
Other awards included Best in Evening Gown which went to Indonesia’s Farhana Nariswari, Best National Costume (Angola- Teresa Sara), Miss People’s Choice Award (Cote D’Ivoire — Nassita Diako), Mexico — Itzia Garcia, Vietnam — Nguyen Phuong Nhi) and Miss Photogenic (Georgia Waddington).
The 61st edition marked the ninth time that Venezuela won the competition — the most wins in the pageant’s history.
It also marked the debuts of Bangladesh, Lesotho and Pakistan and the returns of Angola, Côte D’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ghana, Lithuania, Martinique, Moldova, Myanmar, the Netherlands, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
The Miss International Organisation introduced several specific changes to the format for this edition.
Three of the final 15 delegates were chosen via popularity votes, while the remainder were chosen via the preliminaries and participation in their activities before the finals.
They competed in evening gowns before being narrowed down to Final 7, where the new “Questions & Answers” segment instead of the traditional speech, was introduced.
The delegates had 30 seconds to answer before announcing the runners-up and the new Miss International.
Online Reporter