The 22-year old Cuban resident of Miami, Jeslie Mergal, placed second in the beauty pageant Miss Intercontinental 2014 held on Thursday December 4 at the Maritim Hotel in Magdeburg, Germany, with the assistance of 68 participants from as many countries.
The Cuban youngster, one meter 74 centimeters tall, came to Teutonic lands with the qualification of being Miss North America for such events, and didn’t disappoint in the tests, only surpassed by the Thai Phataraponr Wang, 19, and followed by the representative of the Philippines.
The best costume, best swimsuit and evening gown awards were conquered in that order by the representatives of Panama, South Africa and Puerto Rico.
The contest had been scheduled to take place in Jordan, but ultimately the Department of Tourism in the country of the Middle East declined his organization claiming security concerns, so the event was moved to Germany.
Despite not having the media attention of Miss Universe, this is one of the contest held in most venues and have been among the beauty pageants held annually worldwide. Its origins date back to 1971 when it was organized in the Caribbean island of Aruba, as “Miss Teenage Intercontinental” in 1971, and since then has been hosted by different countries: Bahamas, Belarus, Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Nigeria, Colombia, Venezuela, Seychelles and China.
Last year was won by Russia’s Ekaterina Plekhova. Winning it means fame and fortune for many of them, such as cases of india Lara Dutta in 1997, then Miss Universe in 2000, and currently a successful model and actress in Bollywood.
Also Venezuela Hannelly Quintero, winner in 2008, landed a lucrative contract as a TV host in Caracas following her triumph.
