NEW ORLEANS: R'Bonney Gabriel from the United States has been crowned the new Miss Universe in New Orleans, Louisiana, where the 71st edition of the competition took place.

Gabriel won the beauty pageant on Saturday night, surpassing contestants from Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, who won second and third places, respectively reported Sputnik.

R'Bonney Gabriel was crowned by last year's Miss Universe, India's Harnaaz Sandhu. This year, India, represented by Divita Rai, did not pass the top 16 stage.

Miss Russia 2022 Anna Linnikova did not make it to the final stage of the Miss Universe 2023 pageant either. The top five contestants were from the US, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Curacao.

-- BERNAMA