India's Rachel Gupta is Miss Grand International 2024!

India's Rachel Gupta is Miss Grand International 2024!

She was crowned by her predecessor, Miss Grand International 2023 Luciana Fuster of Peru, during the coronation night held in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday.

The runners-up are the Philippines' CJ Opiaza (1st), Myanmar (2nd), France (3rd), and Brazil (4th).

After the announcement of the Top 5, the question and answer portion followed.

The question asked every finalist was, "What do you think is the most critical issue in the world today that needs to be resolved, and what solutions do you propose?"

Rachel answered, "I believe the most critical issue the world is facing today is poverty due to overpopulation and lack of resources. Simply put, there isn't enough for everybody on this planet. I think it's time for world leaders to take accountability and to start promoting the idea of enough resources for everybody. We can do this by promoting birth control methods in the different countries. I come from a country, India, where not everybody has access to food, water, education, and basic amenities, and this is true for most of the world. It's time for us to stop fighting with each other and start respecting one another and making sure there are enough resources for everyone on this planet. Thank you."

Meanwhile, despite falling short of clinching the crown, CJ still gave an impressive performance.

In the evening gown portion, she wore a low-cut silver sequin evening gown with a flowy white cape by Filipino designer Mak Tumang, and set the stage on fire in a white two-piece during the swimsuit portion of the pageant.

The Miss Grand International 2024 coronation night was held at the MGI Hall, Bravo BKK Mall.

— Carby Rose Basina/CDC, GMA Integrated News