Who is Krystyna Pyszková, the 71st Miss World?
In the pageant's preliminary competitions, Pyszková was already one of the standout candidates
MANILA, Philippines – The Czech Republic’s Krystyna Pyszková is the 71st Miss World, besting 111 other contestants from around the world during the pageant’s finals night on Saturday, March 9, in Mumbai, India.
Pyszková will represent the London-based pageant in various events aligned with the pageant’s mission. She will also have the chance to fly around the world as part of her duties.
Here’s what you need to know about the reigning queen:
2nd Czech winner
Pyszková is the Czech Republic’s second Miss World, after Taťána Kuchařová who won the title in 2006.
The new Miss World titleholder is also the third winner of a “Big 4” pageant crown for the Czech Republic. In 2012, the European country bagged the Miss Earth crown courtesy of Tereza Fajksová.
Standout in the prelims
In the 71st edition’s preliminary competitions, Pyszková was already one of the standout candidates. She was named Miss Europe during the Top 4 selection, along with Yasmin Azaytoun of Lebanon (Miss Asia and Oceania), Aché Abrahams of Trinidad and Tobago (Miss America), and Lesego Chombo of Botswana (Miss Africa).
Loves horses
She also bagged the Best Fashion Designer Award-Europe plum with her eye-catching, fire engine red tulle gown paired with an intricately embroidered horse-riding jacket.
According to Sam Dolce, the dress’ designer, “Krystyna is a passionate horsewoman and a lover of riding, horse racing, and all activities related to horses.”
Interestingly, the fabric for the jacket was repurposed from “an antique blanket used as a cover when moving pampered stallions to protect them from bad weather.”
Check out her amazing riding skills in this video:
Beauty and brains
Prior to her foray into pageantry, Pyszková studied law at Charles University in Prague, which is the oldest and largest university of the Czech Republic. She then studied management at MCI Management Center Innsbruck, which is a private business school in Austria.
Musical talent
Pyszková is also a skilled musician, having studied in an arts school when she was younger. She plays the transverse flute and the violin, and even showcased her artistry during Miss World’s Talent Day.
Passion for education
It comes as no surprise that the well-schooled Pyszková has made education her advocacy. She had set up a school in Tanzania – a fact she highlighted for the pageant’s Beauty with a Purpose component – and also opened a foundation in the Czech Republic that offers education to a wide range of locals, from children, to people with mental disabilities, to the elderly.
“Fighting illiteracy has proven to improve life expectancy and other basic human needs,” she said of her work in Africa. “It promotes stability in the region and enhances the quality of life overall, hence breaking out of a poverty cycle that’s been plaguing the continent for centuries now.”
She made it to the Beauty with a Purpose segment’s roster of finalists. – Rappler.com