Lebanese emigrant wins third place in Miss World

An Australian of Lebanese origin has won third place in this year’s Miss World competition, Al-Arabiya reported Sunday. Jessica Kahawaty placed after Miss China Yu Wenxia, who won first place in the pageant and Sophie Elizabeth Moulds of Wales, who came in second place. This was not the Lebanese beauty’s first pageant. She was in the 2008 Miss Lebanon Emigrant and also competed for Miss Lebanon 2010. She became Miss World Australia in 2012, in part due to playing Beethoven’s "Für Elise" on the piano with a severely injured hand. “I had so much adrenaline and thought: ‘I’m going to do it even if it doesn’t sound so good. I took off my cast despite the doctor’s orders,” Al-Arabiya reported her as saying at the time. Kahawaty is the second Lebanese Australian after Nicole Ghazal to become Miss World Australia. Another beauty pageant winner of Lebanese heritage is Rima Fakih, who was crowned Miss USA in 2012, making her the first Arab American to win that title.