Spanish Mireia Lalaguna Royo wins Miss World title in China

BEIJING: Spain's Mireia Lalaguna Royo was named the winner of the Miss World 2015 competition in the southern Chinese island resort of Sanya, an event dogged by controversy over China's refusal to allow Canada's entrant to attend. Sofia Nikitchuk of Russia was the runner-up and Indonesia's Maria Harfanti took third place in the Saturday night final following a lengthy competition featuring 114 women. Each had won the right to represent their country in a series of local and regional competitions. The victory marked the first-ever win for a Spanish contestant. "I think this is a good decision, because Miss World is not looking for our body, they are looking for a soul," said Lalaguna, a 23-year-old model from Barcelona with a degree in pharmacology who plans to pursue a master's degree in nutrition. She was placed first in the competition's top model contest and appeared to impress the judges with her public speaking. "I think it's important that they don't want to see only our bodies, they are looking for moral things," she said. The first Miss World contest was held 64 years ago in Britain. (China Daily)