Winfred Omwakwe
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| Winfred Omwakwe Beauty pageant titleholder |
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| Birth name: | Winfred Adah Omwakwe |
| Alias(es): | Winnie |
| Birthdate: | January 1, 1981 |
| Birth location: | Nairobi, Kenya |
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Major Competition(s): | Miss Earth 2002 Miss Tourism Kenya 2002 |
Winfred Adah Omwakwe is the first black representative and first from the African region to hold the Miss Earth title. She is also the first woman from Kenya to hold a major international beauty pageant title when she formally succeeded Džejla Glavović of Bosnia & Herzegovina as Miss Earth 2002.[1][2] Glavović was stripped of her title for failing to fulfill her duties.[3][4]
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[edit] Early life
Omwakwe's parents died when she was young—her father when she was 10 followed by her mother when she was 12. She is the youngest in a sibling of three. Her brother, the eldest, is a lawyer, who is in cargo handling. Her sister is also a lawyer.[3] It was her older brother and older sister who have been acting as her surrogate parents.[5]
Omwakwe belongs to the Luhya tribe which is one of the biggest among Kenya’s 42 tribes.[5]
"Winnie", as she is more popularly called, graduated from the Institute of Health Care Management in Kenya, where she received a physiotherapy certificate. She comes from Nairobi and stands 5'9" (175 cm).[5]
She was also a finalist in Miss Universe Kenya 2001, but was unable to capture the title. She later won in the Miss Tourism Kenya and flew to Manila to represent her country at the Miss Earth pageant.[5]
[edit] Miss Earth 2002
Omwakwe, 21, became qualified as her country’s representative to the Miss Earth contest, after she finished as one of the winners in the 2002 Miss Tourism World Kenya pageant.[5] She participated in the second edition of Miss Earth beauty pageant, which was held in Quezon City, Philippines on October 29, 2002.[6][7] Džejla Glavović of Bosnia-Herzegovina won the Miss Earth 2002 title and Omwakwe as the first runner-up.[8][9]
Miss Earth is the first international beauty contest Omwakwe ever participated. After the pageant, she went to Canada for a vacation and to look for a school where she can take up a nursing degree.[5]
On May 28, 2003, Carousel Productions, the organization that produces Miss Earth beauty pageant, officially dethroned Glavović "due to her failure to comply with the stipulations in her contract." First runner-up Omwakwe took over the position of Miss Earth 2002.[5][10] She was formally crowned as the new Miss Earth 2002 on August 07, 2003 at the Carousel Gardens in Mandaluyong City, Philippines.[4] [3]
In a press conference, she was asked on her reaction to being the new Miss Earth and she replied: "I was stunned and couldn’t believe it. But then I saw the congratulatory messages in my e-mail and I received calls from all over. That’s when I was convinced it wasn’t a hoax."[5] While living in Toronto and attending George Brown College, she dated author Rassool Auckbaraullee in 2005, of whom, he actually remembers watching Miss Earth 2003 on television while living in France. Rassool specifically remembers being wowed that Winnie won because she was a minority. When they met in the winter of 2005 Rassool didn't expect to meet Winnie (Winfred Omwakwe) The Model, they met on a blind date, but later confessed she looked familiar, and she later agreed.
[edit] References
- ^ Palmero, Paul (2005-06-18). "Pageant History". Pageant Almanac. http://www.pageant-almanac.com/history.php. Retrieved on 2008-01-07.
- ^ West, Donald (2007-12-18). "Miss Earth History". Pageantopolis. http://www.pageantopolis.com/international/earth.htm. Retrieved on 2008-01-07.
- ^ a b c Yazon, Giovanni Paolo J. (2003-08-14). "Miss Kenya is now Miss Earth". Manila Standard Today. http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=goodLife01_aug14_2003. Retrieved on 2009-01-10.
- ^ a b Lo, Ricardo F. (2008-12-10). "A Gallery of Black Beauty Queens". The Philippine Star. http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=422659&publicationSubCategoryId=70. Retrieved on 2009-01-10.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Lo, Ricardo F.; Vanzi, Sol Jose (2003-08-11). "Kenyan is Miss Earth". Philippine Headline News Online/Philippine Star. http://www.newsflash.org/2003/05/sb/sb002935.htm. Retrieved on 2009-01-10.
- ^ Diaz, Illac (2002-10-07). "Around Miss Earth in 56 ways". Manila Standard Today. http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=goodlife01_oct07_2002. Retrieved on 2009-01-10.
- ^ Couceiro, Dolores (2002-10-30). "Miss Tierra 2002". Concursos de Belleza. http://www.dolorescouceiro.com/concursos/missearth2002.htm. Retrieved on 2009-01-10.
- ^ Diaz, Illac (2002-10-22). "Beauties walk out on Miss Earth". Manila Standard Today. http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=news03_oct22_2002. Retrieved on 2009-01-10.
- ^ Nguyen, Ha (2003-10-27). "South-eastern beauty enters Miss Earth Contest". VietNamNet Bridge. http://english.vietnamnet.vn/lifestyle/2003/10/149804/. Retrieved on 2009-01-10.
- ^ Cowing, Emma (2008-05-13). "Green Godesses". The Scotsman, Scotland. http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/features/-Green-Godesses.4075246.jp. Retrieved on 2009-01-10.
[edit] External links
- Video of Miss Earth 2002 crowning
- Miss Earth official website
- Miss Earth Foundation
- Miss Earth Foundation Kids' I Love My Planet
| Preceded by Džejla Glavović (dethroned) |
Miss Earth 2002 |
Succeeded by Dania Prince |
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