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Oxana Fedorova Crowned Miss Universe 2002

May 30, 2002

Miss Russia, Oxana Fedorova, has been crowned Miss Universe 2002.

The 24-year-old Russian beauty was crowned on May 29 at the conclusion of the 51st broadcast on the CBS Television Network from the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Oxana Fedorova is the first Miss Universe to wear the newly designed Mikimoto crown, which was created specifically for the Miss Universe Organization and their titleholders. The exclusive crown showcases pearls cultivated by the world-renowned Mikimoto, official jewelry sponsor of the Miss Universe Organization.

The live telecast was hosted by actress and model Daisy Fuentes and former NFL great Phil Simms. Miss Universe 2002 opened with a cutting-edge music video introduction of the 75 delegates vying for the coveted Miss Universe title. The telecast panel of judges was comprised of R&B singer and Guess model Tyrese, Fashion Designer Nicole Miller, Men's Fashion Designer Amir, CBS Family Law's Christopher McDonald, Chinese entrepreneur Yue-Sai Kan, Model Tatjana Patitz, NFL's offensive MVP Marshall Faulk, Marisol Malaret Miss Universe 1970, and Survivor Africa winner Ethan Zohn.

Throughout the two-hour event, the delegates competed in three categories, including swimsuit, evening gown and interview. During these competitions, highlighted with performances by Multi-Platinum, Grammy Award winning Latin superstar Marc Anthony, the "Top Five" finalists were selected before the crowning.

Miss Fedorova is the first Russian to win the Miss Universe pageant. She is pursuing a graduate degree in civil law at the at St. Petersburg's Police Academy. Images of her in a white toga-like gown at Wednesday's pageant in Puerto Rico were shown with shots of her firing weapons with perfectly manicured nails and walking police academy halls, dark hair flowing over her olive green uniform.

After graduating from a police academy in the northwestern Russian city of Pskov, Oxana worked as an investigator before undertaking graduate work at the police academy. She is writing a dissertation on regulating privacy and security activities.

In explaining her choice of profession, Fedorova said, "In Russia a woman should be not only beautiful but also know how to stand up for herself. This profession gives me confidence, teaches purposefulness and discipline."

Final Results:

First Runner Up: Justine Pasek, Miss Panama will assume the duties of Miss Universe 2002 if the titleholder for some reason cannot fulfill her responsibilities.

Second Runner Up: Ling Zhuo, Miss China

Rest of Top Five: Vanessa Carreira, South Africa and Cynthia Lander Zamora, Venezuela

Rest of Top Ten: Neelam Verma, Miss Canada; Demetra Eleftheriou, Miss Cyprus; Natascha Borger, Miss Germany; Neha Dhupia, Miss India; and Anisa Kospiri, Miss Albania

Photogenic Award: Isis Marie Casaladuc, Miss Puerto Rico 2002. The general public voted on the Miss Universe website for the delegate who exemplifies beauty through the lens of a camera.

Congeniality Award: Merlisa Rhonda George, Miss US Virgin Islands 2002. The award reflects the respect and admiration of the delegate's peers, who voted for her as the most congenial, charismatic and inspirational participant.

Bluepoint Apparel Swimsuit and Fitness Award: Oxana Fedorova, Miss Russia 2002 named winner of this award during the live telecast. This award was determined by the delegate, in the top ten, who scored the most points by the judges.

National Costume: Vanessa Mendoza, Miss Colombia 2002, was named, during the National Costume Show, the winner of the national costume award for her sense of style, creativity and overall representation of her country.

Miss Universe contestant photos