Miss Trinidad and Tobago out front at Miss World

MISS Trinidad and Tobago Anna-Lise Nanton has, so far, topped various categories of competition heading into the Miss World finals on May 31 in India.

The scoreboard issued by the Miss World Organisation has ranked TT in first place with 205 points, ahead of her five closest rivals who are all in joint second place with 190 points each – Estonia, Indonesia, Ireland, Turkiye and Wales.

Miss Zambia was third, Brazil fourth and Miss Martinique – Nanton's roommate, is fifth.

Nanton was selected to head into the quarter-finals due earlier on May 31, with the other Americas and Caribbean quarter finalists so far chosen being Miss Martinique and Miss Puerto Rico. The three other regions (Asia and Oceania, Europe and Africa) have also each chosen three quarter-finalists, with more to come.

Nanton placed first in the Americas and Caribbean region in the Head to Head debate. She placed first in the world in one of the three events comprising the sport/fitness category known as shuttle runs, where she was the only competitor to complete the running challenge in under 60 seconds.

Nanton was fourth overall in sport/fitness, which was won by Estonia, with Martinique second and Canada third.

She was also deemed to be a "talent finalist" for her display of aerial acrobatics in the talent category.

Navin Boodhai of the Miss World TT organisation told Newsday that Nanton has qualified for the quarter-finals which is expected to have 40 delegates out of the initial 108 entrants.

"On Saturday at 6.30 pm is the final. All 108 will parade. They will announce the top 40." He said this number will be successively halved as the evening progresses, to produce the top woman for each region and of course, the Miss World 2025.

Boodhai praised Nanton's performance in the Head to Head competition, responding to questions on women's freedom of movement and on climate change. "She had to respond unprepared to questions on an international level. She responded phenomenally. This was the first time TT has won the Head to Head challenge."

He said in the talent competition, Nanton was in the top 20.

"She has been one of the most consistent women, if not the most consistent in the competition."

Although Nanton has not officially scored in the evening gown category, Boodhai said she acquitted herself very well in her two offerings – a dress dubbed the Bronze Ibis symbolic of TT, plus a black sari, reflecting the culture of the host nation, India.

Boodhai said Nanton had modelled the sari in a mood that was "very sombre, very light." He said Nanton was likely to again wear her national costume in the finals, a feathered Carnival-style outfit depicting two birds, which she had won in the competition's introduction even but which was not a scored criterion.

He said he was proud on how well Nanton has been doing, just as Miss World fourth-placed Ache Abraham had done last year, after the development programme and skills training his organisation offered them and is keen to offer many other young women in the future.