Jack
Heslewood
of England was named Mister
World 2019
on Friday, besting 71 other international
delegates at the pageant night held at Araneta
Coliseum.
Heslewood,
who was also a top-five candidate in the pageant’s
Top Model category, succeeds Rohit Khandelwal
of India, who won Mister
World in 2018.
Heslewood
edged runners-up Fezile Mkhize of South
Africa and Brian Arturo Gonzalez of Mexico.
Completing
the Top 5 were the representatives of Brazil,
Carlos Wilton Franco, and Dominican Republic,
Alejandro Martinez.
The
Philippines’ Jody Baines Saliba, meanwhile,
settled for a top-12 finish, but as expected
earned the biggest cheers from his countrymen
inside the Quezon City venue
After
England’s coronation as Mister World 2019,
continental winners were announced: Saliba was
declared Mr. World Asia Pacific; Martinez of
Dominican Republic was Mr. World Caribbean;
Gonzalez of Mexico was Mr. World Americas; Alberto
Nodale of Austria was Mr. World Europe; and Mkhize
of South Africa was Mr. World Africa.
Special
awards were handed out for winners of the talent
competition (Mikaele Ahoman of Tonga), extreme
challenge (Wayne Walsh of Ireland), sports
challenge (Mkhize of South Africa), multimedia
challenge (Akshay Rayamajhi of Nepal), and the top
model competition (Gonzalez of Mexico).
The
3-hour finals night — the first to be held in
the Philippines — was hosted by Miss World 2013
Megan Young and actor Mikael Daez.
It
featured performances from Kris Lawrence, Kim
Mugford, and Alyssa Muhlach.
A
native of Araras, in the interior of São Paulo,
the young Carlos Franco, 27, made a good
appearance representing Brazil on Friday morning
(23.08), in the final of the tenth edition of Mister
World.
Even
with the victory of the Englishman Jack
Heslewood, the paulista was among the five
finalists of the competition.
"It
was three years waiting and it was worth it! I
took Brazil to the top 5 of the main contest on
the planet and I could leave a positive message.
The contest was amazing, I'm very happy and I'm
grateful for what I'm living," Franco said.
