Thailand's Opal Suchata, who was recently crowned Miss World 2025 at a grand ceremony in Hyderabad, Telangana, shared her feelings after winning the prestigious title.
The 72nd edition of the global beauty pageant was a star-studded affair and marked a historic moment for Thailand, as the country won its first-ever Miss World crown.
Speaking to ANI following her victory, Opal expressed her joy and disbelief over the win. She described the moment as "surreal" and said it was emotional, especially because her country had waited over seven decades for this achievement.
"I was very excited, especially when they were announcing all the girls and their placements, and when I was announced the winner, I still couldn't believe it. I was very confused because it was so unreal, because my people and I've been waiting for the first crown of Miss World for more than 72 years. It is such an honour to be able to bring back home the first crown. The moment I was crowned, all I thought about was the faces of my family, my people, my team and everyone. I cannot wait to really bring this crown back to Thailand...," Opal told ANI.
She also spoke about continuing her advocacy work through the Miss World platform, particularly her focus on breast cancer awareness.
"I would love to continue on my purpose, which is breast cancer. I am glad that being here in Miss World, a lot of people know more about my Beauty with a Purpose project and have more awareness of the cause that I'm setting up for. I believe that with the Miss World title, in the future, I could definitely make more impact and also help other projects that are in need," she said.
Reflecting on the significance of her achievement, she added, "Now, I would like to define Miss World as my success because I just received it, and it's the highest and most honourable success I've ever had in my life. But if I could define another way of success. I would say that to live your life and to create a life that's better for people around you as well. That's also the success of being alive."
While Thailand celebrated the historic win, India's representative, Nandini Gupta, missed out on a spot in the Top 8 finalists.
Nandini had made it to the Top 40 after advancing through early rounds and being one of the 18 contestants fast-tracked into the category. However, she did not progress further as the competition narrowed down to the final contestants.