Denmark's Victoria Kjær Theilvig wins Miss Universe 2024

Victoria Kjaer Theilvig of Denmark has been crowned Miss Universe 2024, making her the first Dane to win the competition.

The 21-year-old competitive dancer, entrepreneur, and aspiring lawyer beat over 120 other participants to win Mexico City's annual beauty pageant on Saturday night.

Miss Denmark, Victoria Kjær Theilvig, is crowned Miss Universe 2024 in the 73rd Miss Universe Competition in Mexico City on November 16, 2024.

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Other contenders on stage congratulated her as she took the tiara from Nicaragua's reigning titleholder, Sheynnis Palacios.

This year's finale included a performance by musician Robin Thicke and was hosted by Mario Lopez from "Saved by the Bell" and former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo.

The extravagant pageant kicked off with contenders being reduced to a shortlist of 30, based on the results of Thursday's preliminary event, which featured a showy national costume competition. The semi-finalists then paraded in swimsuits, with 12 of them progressing to an evening gown competition.

The final five competitors were then asked questions on a variety of issues, including leadership and resilience. When asked how she would live differently if no one judged her, Theilvig said that she would not alter anything, stating, "I live by each day."

When asked what she would tell people watching, Theilvig encouraged them to "keep fighting … no matter where you come from."

"I stand here today because I want a change, I want to make history, and that's what I'm doing tonight," she said.

Chidimma Adetshina of Nigeria was the first runner-up, with Maria Fernanda Beltran of Mexico coming in second. Suchata Chuangsri of Thailand and Ileana Marquez Pedroza of Venezuela followed, with Pedroza, a 28-year-old mother, making history by finishing in the top five after the competition lifted various limitations in recent years.

This year was the first time in Miss Universe's 72-year history when ladies beyond the age of 28 were eligible to compete. More than two dozen of the finalists were over the age limit in prior years, with Malta's Beatrice Njoya becoming the first and only woman in her forties to reach the grand final.

The abolition of the age limit coincided with increased requests for the pageant to modernize. The Miss Universe Organization reversed a long-standing restriction on pregnant women or mothers, as well as women who are or have ever been married, ahead of the 2023 contest.

Delegates for each nation were chosen by local pageants that obtain local rights from the Miss Universe Organization. Cuba competed in Miss Universe for the first time since 1967, with Marianela Ancheta representing the country. Several nations, including Belarus, Eritrea, and the United Arab Emirates, submitted contenders for the first time, however in April, the Miss Universe Organization tried to refute "false and misleading" allegations that Saudi Arabia would make its debut in the 2024 pageant.

Some national-level contests were marred by controversies leading up to this year's final, including Miss Universe South Africa, where Adetshina withdrew (and was later chosen to represent Nigeria) after questions about her nationality sparked a wave of xenophobic hostility.

Karen Celebertti, the director of the Miss Universe Nicaragua pageant, resigned in December, only weeks after Palacios won the title, after allegations of conspiracy and treason. She, her husband, and son were accused of plotting to overthrow the government.