SPEAKING to Chavoy Gordon, Jamaica’s representative to the Miss Intercontinental pageant in Spain where she placed third, it is hard to comprehend that this is the same young lady who faltered so badly at the Miss Jamaica pageant in September.

It is a calm, articulate Gordon who responds to the Observer’s questions during a telephone interview, a 360-degree change from the frozen, flustered contestant who famously ‘false-started’ on stage at the local pageant.

For Gordon, the trip to Spain was her destiny.

“At the start of this year, I began reading a number of self-help, motivational material including Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and I set a list of goals for myself. One of these was a trip to Europe.”

But when the call came for her to participate in Miss Intercontinental, Gordon still needed to convince herself.

“After the public ‘false start’ I was really down and therefore, the organisers locally were not sure I was up for the challenge. But when I considered that they saw something in me and were willing to send me to represent my country, how could I not say yes?”

With a matter of days to prepare for Spain it was all a mad rush, securing the requisite visas, travel arrangements and a wardrobe fit for a queen were all crammed in so Gordon could make it to Spain for what she describes as a phenomenal experience.

“The experience began in Miami when I was being mistaken for international supermodel Naomi Campbell. Everyone was warm, friendly and willing to assist.” That, Gordon says, continued in Spain’s capital Madrid and right through her three-week stay in the resort city of Allicante — home to the Miss Intercontinental pageant.

The pageant would prove eye-opening for Gordon, who says she recognised first-hand the power of brand Jamaica.

“I had a Jamaican handbag which I carried everywhere, and most days I wore something with the Jamaican colours. This drew the attention of many who constantly came over and spoke to me about my country, our culture and music — they all wanted to know more about Jamaica.”

Gordon is torn when asked about what stands out in her mind regarding the trip to Spain. Again, it comes back to the warmth and love she received from the Spanish people. “The first day we went on a walk-about in the city. After meeting the officials we were taken to the square where a group of children greeted us. But there was a little girl who I saw staring at me and so I went over and she said she wanted skin like mine. This touched me and I thought, in Jamaica people are bleaching their black skin, yet this little girl wanted skin like mine. Then there was the experience of meeting some young people at a Rotary Club meeting and, again, they were so warm towards me, they even bought VIP tickets and came to support and cheer me on at the finals.”

Gordon says in the days leading up to the finals her confidence grew even more when the other contestants were becoming more isolated as everyone got into competition mode.

However, this did not prevent them from coming to her rescue when the producers told her she needed another evening gown as the one she had taken from Jamaica did not ‘work’ on stage under the lights. Gordon relates that in an instant she had a choice of five evening gowns from her fellow contestants. She chose the gown offered to her by Miss Belize which she felt complemented her skin tone, figure and was overall the most flattering.

The 25-year-old says she knew that she could not afford to make another mistake so went into the finals and simply did her best. “I am proud that I had the opportunity to represent my country on the international stage. I am proud of my third-place finish, and that I could prove to friends, family, critics and, most importantly, myself, that I could do this.”

For her efforts in Spain, Gordon came away with a cash prize and a watch from the world-famous jewellers Cartier.

And of the future, Gordon says a number of opportunities have begun to come her way. She, however, is guarded about revealing too much. One thing she can say is, “no more false starts.”