Johannesburg:
Gibraltar's Kaiane Aldorino was crowned Miss World 2009 in a glittering gala event here this evening, but it was Miss India Pooja Chopra who got some of the loudest applause for bravely taking on the contest with a broken ankle.
Chopra also got applause for a video clip showing her efforts to educate girls in India, supporting the save the girl-child initiative.
Earlier, after winning the Beauty with a Purpose round for her project for the girl child, Pooja Chopra automatically qualified to be in the 17 semi-finalists.
She explained in the video how she had invested a third of the funds she had raised during her reign to give more than 600 girls in India a better education.
"I'm speechless! Thank you, Miss (Julia) Morley (Chairman of the Miss World Pageant)," was all a tearful Chopra said
after she beat Miss Barbados and Miss Guatemala in that category.
Later the host of the show asked Chopra to lift her gown to show to television viewers how brave she had been to get onto the ramp despite the splint she was sporting.
However, Chopra failed to make it to the final seven. Aldorino was the first ever winner of the prestigious pageant from the island nation of Gibraltar.