Miss Universe 2014: Meet Asian beauties vying for crown

Miss Universe 2014 finale will be held at the FIU Arena, Doral, Miami on Sunday 25 January, when Venezuelan Miss Universe 2013, Gabriela Isler, will hand over her crown.

We have listed the Asian contenders who might wear the crown this year.

China
Yanliang Hu
Age: 24
Hometown: Beijing
Height: 5' 11"
Language: Chinese, English

BIO

Yanliang Hu has a tomboy personality. She likes to try new things, and always sees the world from a different perspective. She is a Beijing photographer and enjoys to capture the emotion of each moment. Yanliang is proud to be Miss Universe China 2014. 

Thailand
Pimbongkod Chankaew
Age: 20
Hometown: Bangkok
Height: 5’ 11”
Language: English, Thai

BIO

Pimbongkod Chankaew was born in Los Angeles, California. She grew up there with her mother, grandmother and younger sister. Pimbongkod and her family took routine trips back to Thailand whenever they had the chance to. After finishing her first year of college, she moved back to Thailand with her mother and sister. She spent her time reconnecting with her Thai culture, and also as a volunteer English teacher in the countryside of Thailand. After winning the title, Pimbongkod has been spending all of her time fulfilling her duties as queen. 

Philippines
Mary Jean Lastimosa
Age: 27
Hometown: North Cotabato
Height: 5' 9"
Language: Filipino, English

BIO

Mary Jean Lastimosa is a beauty queen with an unwavering passion for charity and public service. Born in a war-torn province with political insurgencies, she learned the values of courage and became determined to excel in academics. Her surroundings did not stop her from pursuing her passion for dancing, music and performance arts. This also inspired her to work under the city government to work on education and child welfare projects. She took on the challenging course of Computer Engineering with the help of three scholarships and graduated with flying colors. Faith brought her to a different path and led her to be a successful entrepreneur and a beauty queen. 

India
Noyonita Lodh
Age: 21
Hometown: Bengaluru
Height: 5' 6"
Language: Hindi, English

BIO

Noyonita Lodh is from Bangalore, India. She is pursuing a degree in Business Management from St. Josephs College of Commerce. She has won two local pageants at the age of 16 and 18 before she won Miss Universe India 2014. Noyonita is a person who gets along with everyone. She enjoys adventure and exploring things outside her comfort zone, and has a passion for women empowerment. Noyonita is a woman with an enigmatic personality. It is her warmth that draws your attention and holds it while you unfold the mysterious facets to her personality. She has the ability to be a great student, always willing to learn and improve; as well as a great teacher, willing to lead and make a significant impact on people. Noyonita believes that every moment in life should be a celebration! 

Indonesia
Elvira Devinamira
Age: 21
Hometown: Surabaya
Height: 5' 9"
Language: Indonesia, English

BIO

Elvira Devinamira is a vibrant and confident woman. In any situation, Elvira focuses on a positive outcome. She thrives in solving problems and welcomes challenges. For her, there is always a way to make things work. In terms of negotiating with people, Elvira certainly has the skill and knowledge to close the deal. She wants to become a professional in the field of International Law. Learning and working hard to achieve her goals are the qualities that stand out from the rest of her peers. One positive trait she has is the ability to do everything with joy. It is not surprising that Elvira has lots of friends and is loved by many people whom she has the opportunity to work with. People are touched by her sincerity, personal attention, compassion, and even her smile. Her smile is contagious and it warms everybody's heart. To sum up Elvira's personality: "Elvira is a true natural beauty from the heart". 

Japan
Keiko Tsuji
Age: 21
Hometown: Nagasaki
Height: 5' 6"
Language: Japanese

BIO

Keiko Tsuji was born on October 9, 1993 in Okinawa, Japan. From a young age, she enjoyed swimming and karate. She joined the karate club after entering junior high school in 2004 and went on to represent Okinawa in national competitions. Keiko has also served as the captain of her karate club.

In 2010, she entered Nagasaki International University. She majored in nutritional science to learn about the importance of the body and dietary health as well as the wonders of Japanese food. In her first year of college, she ranked first in the Kyushu karate competition. She achieved third in the national competition. Now she is continuing her university studies, while aiming to become Miss Universe. 

Kazakhstan
Aiday Issayeva
Age: 25
Hometown: Almaty
Height: 5' 9"
Language: Kazakh, Russian, English

BIO

Aiday Issayeva was born in the southern region of Kazakhstan. In 1989 she moved to Shymkent, where she went to school and studied at the Medical Academy for two years. She then transferred to a Medical University in Almaty. She graduated from Kazakh National Medical University named by Asfendiyarov, and now she works as a doctor.

From 2002 to 2008, she participated in different beauty pageants. In 2008, she became Miss Shymkent and in 2009 she competed in Miss Universe Kazakhstan, where she placed in the Top 10. In 2013 she won the title of Vice Miss Almaty and continued on to become Miss Universe Kazakhstan. 

Korea
Ye Bin Yoo
Age: 22
Hometown: South Korea
Height: 5' 6"
Language: Korean, English

BIO

Ye Bin Yoo was born on January 30,1992. She is majoring in fashion in the Gyeong Sang National University, Korea. She is a very outgoing and caring person. Ye Bin loves Korean food and cooking. She volunteers with Korean corporations whenever she gets the opportunity.

Ye Bin enjoys physical activities such as yoga and dance. She also loves animals and enjoys working with them. Her ultimate goal is to build a shelter for abandoned animals. 

Malaysia
Sabrina Beneett
Age: 24
Hometown: Subang Jaya, Selangor
Height: 5' 8"
Language: English, Malay

BIO

Sabrina Beneett was born and raised in a country town, but that hasn't stopped this simple girl to dream big and aim high. She is currently pursuing a modeling career, but won't stop there. Having a strong passion for music, acting, and hosting, she wishes to make it on the big screen.

As a college graduate, she was actively involved as the head of student council, responsible for organizing events such as charity drives, campaigns and booths by sourcing for sponsors, setting up and executing the drives.

She is in the works of starting up her own real estate firm, and with her psychology education background, she aspires to launch an independent non-profit organization called Wings in The Future, that strings together professionals from different backgrounds and expertise to combat issues such as women and children's rights, domestic abuse, psychological trauma, rape and more. 

Mauritius
Pallavi Gungaram
Age: 21
Hometown: Vacoas-Phoenix
Height: 5' 6"
Language: Mauritian, Creol, English, French, Hindi

BIO

Pallavi Gungaram, crowned Miss Universe Mauritius, is a beauty ambassador of her country. Born and raised in the city of Vacoas-Phoenix, Mauritius, she is currently a student in Psychology at the University of Mauritius. She comes from a modest family of two children where she is the youngest and has been blessed with the unconditional love and support of her family members. Being a down to earth person, Pallavi has always maintained her simplicity despite her title and believes that happiness can be found even in the darkest of times.

She welcomes challenges and undertakes any responsibility given to her with dignity. She is passionate about reading and simply loves to get lost in the fantasy world. She is fond of adventures and anything thrilling like water-sports. Her most ardent dream remains bringing glory to her motherland, and she is striving to make that dream come true. 

Myanmar
Sharr Htut Eaindra
Age: 21
Hometown: Yangon
Height: 5’ 7”
Language: Myanmar, English

BIO

Sharr Eaindra was born in Yangon, Myanmar and grew up with the unconditional kindness of her grandparents. She passed the university entrance exam with great scores and got the chance to attend the veterinary medical course, although she has become more interested in majoring in philosophy.

She chose philosophy major based on her passion for the subject. She competed in the Miss Universe Myanmar 2014 pageant, which was only the second time in over 50 years the pageant was held for Myanmar. Eaindra can be described as very active, hardworking and a great communicator. 

Singapore
Rathi Menon
Age: 24
Hometown: Singapore
Height: 5' 8"
Language: English, Tamil

BIO

Rathi Menon is the first Indian beauty to win the Miss Universe Singapore title since 1998. She is not only a beauty queen, but also a "classy-biker-chick" at heart. This 24-year-old owns a 400 CC Super Four motorcycle. She is a pharmacy technician by profession, but a huge animal lover and volunteers at an animal shelter because it brings her great joy.

She finds cooking very therapeutic and her signature dish is Bubur ayam (chicken porridge). Friendly and jovial by nature, Rathi is a family orientated person and adores her family. She loves to meet people, make new friends and values true friendship. She enjoys learning about different cultures and ethics. She loves dancing and if you play any Pop music, you would have trouble keeping her from dancing. 

Sri Lanka
Avanti Page
Age: 24
Hometown: Sri Lanka
Height: 5' 10"
Language: English

BIO

Avanti Marianne Page was born and raised in the tropical and exquisite island of Sri Lanka. She completed her studies in Australia, graduating with a degree in Commerce, majoring in Commercial Law. Marianne chose a degree in Commercial Law because she was fascinated about the legal system. She is an outgoing, enthusiastic and independent individual who is positive about every aspect of life.

She has a passion for dancing and fashion, which stemmed from an early age and in her spare time she loves to bake! There are many things that she wants to achieve in life. Her long-term dreams include becoming an entrepreneur and traveling the world experiencing diversity, as well as obtaining a Master's Degree in Law. Her short term goal is to represent her country successfully and showcase how much Sri Lanka has to offer to the world.

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