KUALA LUMPUR: Taanusiya Chetty has made history by finishing as Second Runner-up at Miss World 2026, as well as being crowned Miss World Asia and winning the Beauty With a Purpose award, repeating Malaysia’s best-ever achievement on the Miss World stage after 28 years.
The success was achieved at the 73rd Miss World Final in Nha Trang, Vietnam, which saw Joheirry Mola Dominguez of the Dominican Republic crowned Miss World 2026, while Elisabeth Reynés of Spain emerged as the first runner-up.
Taanusiya’s achievement matches that of Malaysian actress, television presenter, and model Lina Teoh, who also placed third at Miss World 1998.
Making the achievement even more meaningful, winning the Beauty With a Purpose award qualifies Taanusiya to serve as an ambassador for the programme, which includes the opportunity to travel internationally alongside Miss World and her team to participate in various humanitarian initiatives.
Taanusiya, a school teacher and social activist, founded Be The Change Malaysiain 2022 to focus on empowering children and underserved communities through education, mentorship, and humanitarian programmes.
Among her initiatives is Project CAHAYA, which established a dedicated school-in-hospital programme for Orang Asli children undergoing medical care to ensure they can continue their education during treatment.
Dr Sean Wong, Chief Executive Officer of HyperLive Entertainment and licence holder of Miss World Malaysia, said Taanusiya’s success is not merely an individual achievement, but rather opens up greater opportunities to expand youth-led humanitarian movements in Malaysia.
He added that the recognition also grants Taanusiya an international platform to bring Malaysia’s humanitarian missions to a wider global audience.
Meanwhile, Taanusiya described her achievement as belonging to all Malaysians, while expressing her gratitude to the government, agencies, sponsors, donors, family, volunteers, media, and everyone who supported her journey and humanitarian efforts.
She noted that the recognition is not the final destination, but rather carries a greater responsibility to expand Be The Change Malaysia’s efforts to help children, empower young people, and strengthen communities.
Founded in 1951, Miss World celebrates its 75th anniversary this year with its core mission, Beauty With a Purpose, encouraging contestants to use their platform and influence to assist society and champion humanitarian causes.
Taanusiya’s success is hoped to strengthen collaboration between the government, private sector, non-governmental organisations, educational institutions, and community groups to expand social initiatives and provide more opportunities for Malaysian youth to lead high-impact projects. – BNN
