23-year-old Nicaraguan wins Miss Universe 2023

Miss Universe 2023, Sheynnis Palacios Photo: X| MissUniverse

Twenty-three-year-old Nicaraguan model and beauty queen, Sheynnis Palacios, was crowned Miss Universe 2023 at the 72nd annual beauty pageant held in San Salvador on Saturday night.

Sheynnis outshone 83 other candidates, making history as the first delegate from Nicaragua to win the Miss Universe title, Daily Mail reports Sunday.

Sheynnis is no stranger to pageantry, having started competing in national pageants at the age of 16.

On the coronation night, Sheynnis consistently progressed to the next rounds, with strong performance s in both the swimsuit segment and the evening gown competition.

According to the Miss Universe organisation, Sheynnis’ goal in life is to “work in the service of humanity, by running a newsroom and producing content and commercials for international brands.”

In addition to Sheynnis’ victory, the event saw several more historic firsts, including two mother candidates, two transgender women, and a plus-size individual.

The new beauty queen was crowned by last year’s winner, USA’s R’Bonney Nola Gabriel.