Fadhlina praises Taanusiya’s Miss World showing and her commitment to education advocacy

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 6 — Malaysia's Education Minister, Datuk Seri Fadhlina Sidek, has commended Taanusiya Chetty, the third-place finisher in the Miss World 2026 pageant, for her dedication to education and advocacy. "I am impressed not only by her achievement on the world stage, but also by Taanusiya’s commitment to making education and advocacy part of her cause," she stated in a Facebook post.

The Miss World 2026 competition took place in Nha Trang, Vietnam, where Joheirry Mola Dominguez of the Dominican Republic was crowned the winner, and Elisabeth Reynes Alabern of Spain took second place. Taanusiya, 26, secured a top-three position after delivering impressive performances throughout the nearly month-long event, competing against 110 other contestants from around the globe.

This accomplishment ties the record set by Lina Teoh, who also finished third in the Miss World 1998 competition, making Taanusiya and Teoh the top-performing Malaysian contestants in the contest's history. Taanusiya, known as Taanu, qualified for the Top Six by winning the Beauty With A Purpose (BWAP) segment, which evaluates contestants based on their commitment to community projects and their impact on society.