Miss International 2009 Winners
Melody Adelheid Gersbach failed to duplicate the feat of Precious Lara Quigaman at the conclusion of the 49th Miss International beauty congress held at the Tennis International Hotel in Chengdu, Sichuan province in China last Saturday.
Yet, Miss Philippines did not totally end up as a disappointment, unlike her batch mate Pamela Bianca Manalo who left Bahamas as “Miss-ed Universe” last August. The 23-year-old Bicolana was among the 15 ladies chosen by the judges to go on in the competition.
The 12 other candidates who made it to the semis included Yana Supranovich of Belarus, Belgium’s Cassandra D’Ermilio, Rayanne Morais of Brazil, Canada’s Chanel Beckenlehner, Patricia Rosales of Cuba, Dominican Republic’s Victoria Fernandez, Linda Wikstedt of Finland, Japan’s Yuka Nakayama, Joyce Jacobi of Panama, Spain’s Melanie Santiago and Laksmi Rodriguez of Venezuela.
Recipients of special awards like China’s Wang Qian (Miss Congeniality), Kenia Andrade of Honduras (Best in National Costume), the United States’ Aileen Yap (Mobile Beauty) and Catalina Stascu of Moldova (Miss Internet Beauty) all failed to make the cut. United Kingdom’s Chloe-Beth Morgan and Miss Photogenic winner Seo Eun-mi of Korea were named second and first runners-up, respectively.
It was Anagabriela Espinoza Marroquin, a 21-year-old student and runway model from Monterrey, Mexico who walked away with the Mikimoto pearl-studded crown previously worn by Alejandra Andreu of Spain.
Trivias on AnagabrielaEspinoza was just a “replacement representative,” appointed by Nuestra Belleza Mexico Organization’s president and Miss Universe of 1991 Lupita Jones, after its suplente or alternate titleholder, Nuestra Belleza Internacional Mexico 2008 Laura Zuñiga, was stripped of her title due to alleged gangland ties.
Zuñiga and seven men who reportedly carried illegal guns and USS$53,000 cash were arrested by state police and army officers in Zapopan, Jalisco, December of last year. She claimed she was kidnapped by boyfriend Angel Orlando Garcia Urquiza, a leader of the Vicente Carillo Fuentes Organization, a Mexican drug trafficking cartel, and said she was unaware of his illegal activities. But the dethroned beauty queen was eventually released from jail on Jan. 30 after the judge found no evidence that linked her to any criminal activity.
She is the second Mexican to win this global beauty title, barely two years after Priscila Perales Elizondo’s victory. Prior to becoming Miss International winners, both Nuestra Belleza Mexico titleholders had already competed in two most publicized pageants: Perales was a top 10 finalist in the Miss Universe 2006 pageant held in Los Angeles, California, while Espinoza automatically advanced to the semi-final round of the Miss World pageant, for topping the Beach Beauty fast-track event in Johannesburg, South Africa, last year.
Melody moves onGersbach was one of the top favorites for the Miss International crown among pageant followers around the world. The judges of GlobalBeauties.Com—a prime online magazine for international beauty contests—even ranked her as second, in their leader board recently.
She earned her degree in business management at the University of Asia and the Pacific. The second child of Wolfgang, a German businessman and the former Marina Manuel, was Miss Magayon-Albay and Miss Bicolandia of 2008. She helps in managing their family’s restaurant, Gasthof, renowned for its baby back ribs, with branches in Makati Avenue, Boracay and Daraga, Albay.
“My aunt [Maridel Antonette Gonzalez] was my inspiration for this competition. She passed away last April 1, during my homecoming in Bicol.” Two motorcycle-riding gunmen shot her aunt several times while she was about to enter her home in Legazpi City. Investigations are still under way to determine the motive for her murder. “It was a tragic way of ending her life... She was the one who pushed me to join Binibining Pilipinas, she was supposed to go with my parents in China to watch me.”
Entering show business is not on top of Melody’s priorities at the moment, but she said: “If there would be an offer or any opportunity, I’d think about it first, I am not really closing my doors.”
Featured Article: Manila Standard Today
