Young, 23, bested 126 other international delegates in the 2013 Miss World pageant held in Bali, Indonesia, last September 28. After her coronation, the organizers flew her to London where the pageant is based, for a series of official appearances.
Wearing her crown and sash, Young arrived around 4:20 p.m. on Cathay Pacific flight CX 919 from Hong Kong and was greeted by hundreds of staff of the Manila International Airport Authority.
Speaking before the media, Young could not hold back tears of joy as she said she was “overwhelmed” by the reception of the Filipino people.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Young managed to say before shedding tears of joy. “It’s an overwhelming feeling, how warm I was met here in the Philippines.”
“These are tears of joy. I’m just really happy to be home and just really happy to see everyone,” she said.
She is also set to visit the Philippine General Hospital, another charity beneficiary of the MWP.
Young also said that she was looking forward to the charity events that the MWO has lined up in the coming months.
“We’re actually going to a fund-raising event in New York. And then we’re going to Haiti after that, we’ll stay there for six days,” shared Young.
She said regular updates about her whereabouts and activities will be posted on the MWO website (www.missworld.com) and the organization’s social media accounts.
The MWP officials have also arranged a victory parade for Young Friday. The motorcade will pull out of the intersection of Gil Puyat Avenue and Makati Avenue at 2 p.m. and will roll out on a route leading to the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, where she is also expected to greet her fans.
The Olongapo-based beauty convincingly snatched the Philippines first victory in the 63-year-old global tilt. She advanced to the semifinals with the highest aggregate score from the pre-pageant competitions. Young edged out France’s Marine Lorphelin for the title during the final round. Ghana’s Carranzar Naa Okailey Shooter placed third.
Young topped the “Top Model’ competition, placed fourth in the “Multimedia Challenge” and was fifth in the “Beach Fashion” competition.
She was also among the select few delegates featured in the “Dances of the World” segment of the coronation ceremonies. For her dance portion, a stylized version of the Muslim royal dance “Singkil,” the spotlight beamed only at Young, leaving the rest of the delegates in the dark, without making any movement. In the other candidates’ respective dances, the rest of the contestants danced along.
Young was also chosen to speak at the opening press conference attended mostly by Indonesian media, along with 2012 Winner Yu Wenxia and Miss World owner Julia Morley. The other delegates invited to the event were the representatives from Puerto Rico, Cameroon, Australia, Netherlands, Lebanon, Jamaica, Spain and Indonesia.
Young’s international triumph came only weeks after her selection as the country’s representative to the 2013 Miss World pageant.
During the 2013 Miss World Philippines contest last August 18, she also bagged the lion’s share of special awards– Best in Fashion Runway, Miss Sports by Fila, Miss Reducin, Miss Olay, Miss Laguna, Miss Bold and Glamorous by Revlon, Miss Figlia, Miss Bench Body, Miss Slimmers World and Miss Solaire Resort and Casino.
