It was the support from her family and their presence inside the ballroom of the Jamaica Pegasus hotel at the grand coronation of Miss Jamaica World 2019 that gave Toni-Ann Singh the motivation to do well on Saturday evening.

“My

family came, and they were very supportive. The support that they gave was so

comforting,” said 23-year-old Singh shortly after she was crowned.

Singh beat

15 other young women for the crown in what was considered a keenly contested

finale. Finishing in second place was frequent pageant entrant Roshelle

McKinley, while recent law school graduate Alanna Wanliss was third.

The grand coronation kicked off about 8:15 p.m. with the finalists appearing in designs courtesy of Heather Layne and Mushroom. Under the theme ‘Jamaica Jamboree’ (in tribute to the late pageant franchisee and theatre practitioner Aston Cooke), the pageant ran smoothly for the most part.

Sixteen

girls were in the finals, but it was eventually slashed to a top 10, which

included Kadijah McIntosh, Euricka Brown, Danevia Powell, Soyini Phillips,

Mariann Knight, Brianna Knight and Thalia Malcolm.

The top 10 then became a top six with Brianna Knight, Soyini Philips, Kadijah McIntosh, Alanna Wanliss, Roshelle McKinley and Toni-Ann Singh making the cut.

The fast

track Beauty with a Purpose winner was Soyini Phillips, whose project donated

to and assisted in effecting repairs at two schools, one in St Andrew and the

other in St Thomas.

The other fast track winners were: Talent – Toni-Ann Singh; Beach Beauty – Roshelle McKinley; Top Model – Euricka Brown; and Fitness – Thalia Malcolm.

The sectional prizes went to Toni-Ann Singh – Best Personality and Most Photogenic; Brianna Knight – Popular Vote; Danevia Powell – Most Improved Contestant; and Haquika Greaves – Most Congenial.

During the

show, singer Dimario McDowell performed a medley of reggae and rocksteady songs,

much to the delight of the audience, while comedian and actor Christopher

‘Johnny’ Daley whipped up a frenzy with his routine that had patrons in

stitches.

Meanwhile, the

judges for the show were Miss Jamaica World 2017 Solange Sinclair; Mr Jamaica

1995 Richard Nevers; retailer Sophia Max Brown; former Miss World Cindy Breakspeare;

designer Bill Edwards; journalist Janet Silvera; designer and businesswoman

Keneea Linton-George; and actor/singer D Burnz.

Miss

Jamaica World 2019 was a production of Crown of Beauty, whose principals are

Weston Haughton and broadcaster and actress Dahlia Harris.