Nikki de Moura aces 30-second Q&A, attends welcome dinner for Miss Grand International 2023
MANILA, Philippines — Miss Grand Philippines 2023 Nikki de Moura confidently answered the 30-second question-and-answer challenge and joined the highly anticipated welcome dinner in Hanoi as part of the activities of Miss Grand International 2023.
De Moura was asked: "How do you feel intimidated by the word 'Front-runner' and how do you approach it to make yourself able to defeat the 'Front-runner'?"
The Filipino-Brazilian beauty from Cagayan de Oro was calm and collected when she answered the question.
"No, I do not think that front-runners do intimidate me because I believe that your biggest challenge is yourself. Your biggest competitor is yourself and I believe it's just the whole meaning of life — to really learn more about yourself and to see how far you can go. And I think, about the frontrunner, it's beautiful. You can learn from them so I don't think it's a challenge or intimidating. If you look at it in a positive way, it can really be beautiful to learn from different cultures and backgrounds," the beauty queen said.
Apart from her confident answer, De Moura also looked stunning in a creation by Filipino designer Gian Henderson as she strutted the red carpet on her way to the much-anticipated welcome dinner last night.
The ALV Pageant Circle recently held a send-off party at the Savoy Hotel Manila for De Moura before her departure to Hanoi for the Miss Grand International (MGI) 2023 coronation night.
Pageant enthusiasts believe the Filipino-Brazilian beauty may, finally, win the Philippines the elusive golden crown.
Last year's representative, Roberta Angela Tamondong, was elevated to a 5th runner-up position from her Top 20 placement. The closest that a Filipina got to the crown were in the years 2016 and 2020, when Nicole Cordoves and Samantha Bernardo both won as 1st runners-up — Cordoves to Ariska Putri Pertiwi of Indonesia and Bernardo to Abena Appiah of the United States.
In recent years, pageant aficionados have observed that one of the ways to win a spot in the semifinals is through the pre-arrival dinner poll, where the highest votes from five countries will join a special dinner with MGI president Nawat Itsaragrisil, vice-president Teresa Chaivisut and reigning queen Isabella Mennin.
Fans and supporters vote on either of the organization's social media pages. With the MGI Facebook page, only votes from followers of the page will be counted. On the other hand, supporters may also vote on MGI's Instagram page. By then, the pre-pageant events and activities had already begun. Voting for the Best in Vietnam National Costume is until October 8 at 5 p.m. (Hanoi time) on the official Instagram account of Miss Grand International.
The 11th Miss Grand International finals will unfold on October 25, in Hanoi, Vietnam. Reigning titleholder Isabella Mennin of Brazil will crown her successor at the culmination of the pageant rites. Stay tuned!
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