Malaysia’s Taanusiya Chetty is second runner-up at Miss World 2026 pageant

 The 26-year-old beauty impressed judges and audiences in various segments of the contest held in Nha Trang, Vietnam.

Taanusiya Chetty matched the performance of Lina Teoh, who also finished as second runner-up in the Miss World pageant in 1998. (Taanusiya Chetty Instagram pic)

PETALING JAYA:

Malaysia’s Taanusiya Chetty was crowned the second runner-up in the Miss World 2026 pageant at Nha Trang in Vietnam last night.

Taanusiya, 26, better known as Taanu, joined Lina Teoh, who finished in the same position at the Miss World contest at Mahe in the Seychelles in 1998.

Joheirry Mola Dominguez of the Dominican Republic was crowned Miss World 2026, while Elisabeth Reynes Alabern of Spain finished as first runner-up.

A total of 111 contestants took part in the 73rd edition of the competition, which ran for almost a month.

Taanusiya qualified for the Top Six after winning the Beauty With A Purpose (BWAP) segment, edging out Zimbabwe’s Brunette Makanyiso, Bernama reported.

BWAP is one of the major Miss World recognitions, awarded based on the contestants’ commitment to and impact of the community projects they champion.

During the evening gown segment, she looked elegant in a pink gown by Vietnamese fashion designer Minh Tuan Couture.

Taanusiya also captured public attention after a video of her speaking in four languages – English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil – during the Miss World 2026 Head-to-Head Challenge on Aug 23 went viral. - FMT