MISS UNIVERSE 2003

MISS UNIVERSE 2003
Amelia Vega
Dominican Republic.










Miss Universe 2003
Date: June 6, 2003
Presenters: Billy Bush and Daisy Fuentes
Entertainment: Bond and Chayanne
Venue: Figali Convention Center, Panama City, Panama
Broadcaster: NBC
Entrants: 71
Placements: 15
Debuts: Yugoslavia (as Serbia & Montenegro)
Withdraws: British Virgin Islands, Chile, Ghana, Honduras, Iceland, Kenya, Northern Marianas, Portugal, Uruguay, U. S. Virgin Islands
Returns: Barbados, Belize, New Zealand, Taiwan,
Winner: Amelia Vega
Represented: Dominican Republic
Congeniality: Kai Davis
Antigua and Barbuda
Photogenic: Carla Tricoli
Puerto Rico
The Miss Universe 2003 Pageant was held in Figali Convention Center, Panama City, Panama on June 3, 2003. 71 delegates from around the world who competed for the Miss Universe title.

At the conclusion of the final competition Miss Dominican Republic Universe Amelia Vega was crowned Miss Universe 2003 by Miss Universe 2002, Justine Pasek of Panama. She was the first woman from her country to win the title.

Panama hosted the pageant for the second time. In 1986, Miss Universe 1986 was held at ATLAPA Convention Center in Panama City
Placements
The Miss Universe title was won by Amelia Vega of Dominican Republic.
The runners-up were:
1st runner-up - Mariangel Ruiz (Venezuela)
2nd runner-up - Cindy Nell (South Africa)
3rd runner-up - Sanja Papić (Serbia and Montenegro)
4th runner-up - Miyako Miyazaki (Japan)
The Top 10 were:
Gislaine Rodrigues Ferreira (Brazil), Ndapewa Alfons (Namibia), Leanne Marie Cecile (Canada), Katerina Smrzova (Czech Republic), Faye Alibocas (Trinidad and Tobago)
The Top 15 were:
Claudia Ortiz de Zevallos (Peru), Ana José Sebastião (Angola), Susie Castillo (USA), Stefanie de Roux (Panama), Marietta Chrousala (Greece)

Countries and territories which sent delegates and results.
Special awards
Miss Congeniality: Kai Davis (Antigua and Barbuda)
Miss Photogenic: Carla Tricoli (Puerto Rico)
Best National Costume: Amelia Vega (Dominican Republic)

Contestants
Albania - Denisa Kola
Angola - Ana Jose Sebastiăo
Antigua and Barbuda - Kai Davis
Argentina - Laura Romero
Aruba - Malayka Rasmijn
Australia - Ashlea Talbot
Bahamas - Nadia Johnson
Barbados - Nadia Forte
Belgium - Julie Taton
Belize - Becky Belinda Bernard
Bolivia - Irene Aguilera
Brazil - Gislaine Rodrigues Ferreira
Bulgaria - Elena Tihomirova
Canada - Leanne Marie Cecile
Cayman Islands - Nichelle Welcome
China - Wu Wei
Colombia - Diana Lucia Mantilla Prada
Costa Rica - Andrea Ovares Lopez
Croatia - Ivana Delic
Curacao - Vanessa Maria van Arendonk
Cyprus - Ivi Lazarou
Czech Republic - Katerina Smrzova
Dominican Republic - Amelia Vega
Ecuador - Andrea Jácome Ruiz
Egypt - Nour El-Samary
El Salvador - Diana Reneé Valdivieso
Estonia - Katrin Susi
Finland - Anna Maria Strömberg
France - Emmanuelle Chossat
Germany - Alexsandra Vodjanikova
Greece - Marietta Chrousala
Guatemala - Florecita de Jesus Cobian
Guyana - Leanna Damond
Hungary - Viktoria Tomozi
India - Nikita Anand
Ireland - Lesley Flood
Israel - Sivan Klein
Italy - Silvia Ceccon
Jamaica - Michelle Lecky
Japan - Miyako Miyazaki
Korea - Na-na Geum
Malaysia - Elaine Daly
Mauritius - Marie-Aimee Bergicourt
Mexico - Marisol Gonzalez
Namibia - Ndapewa Alfons
Netherlands - Tessa Amber Brix
New Zealand - Sharee Adams
Nicaragua - Claudia Salmeron Aviles
Nigeria - Celia Bissong Ohumotu
Norway - Hanne-Karine Sorby
Panama - Stefanie de Roux
Peru - Claudia Ortiz de Zevallos
Philippines - Carla Gay Balingit
Poland - Iwona Makuch
Puerto Rico - Carla Tricoli
Russia - Olesya Bondarenko
Serbia & Montenegro - Sanja Papic
Singapore - Bernice Wong
Slovakia - Petra Mokrošová
Slovenia - Polona Baš
South Africa - Cindy Nell
Spain - Eva Maria Gonzalez
Sweden - Helena Stenbäck
Switzerland - Nadine Vinzens
Taiwan - Szu-Yu Chen
Thailand - Yaowalak Traisurat
Trinidad and Tobago - Faye Alibocus
Turkey - Ozge Ulusoy
Ukraine - Lilja Kopytova
USA - Susie Castillo
Venezuela - Mariangel Ruiz
Records/Trivia
Manuela Osk Hardarsdottir of Iceland withdrew from the pageant, when a dehydration caused by the weather prevented her from competing in the Preliminaries. However, she stayed in Panama until the pageant was over, joined by her boyfriend.
In terms of regional representation, this was one of the most balanced top fives in recent years, with delegates from Africa (South Africa), the Asia-Pacific Region (Japan), Europe (Serbia & Montenegro), South America (Venezuela), and the North America (Dominican Republic) all making the top five.
2003 was the first time in 11 years that India failed to make it into the semi-finals.
Angola and Serbia & Montenegro were called out to the semi-finals for the first time.
Venezuela, South Africa, Canada, and Panama were the only countries in this edition's semi-finals who were also called out in last year's semi-finals.
As for the other semi-finalists, Japan last placed in 1988, Namibia in 1992, Czech Republic in 1993, the Dominican Republic in 1995, Peru in 1996, both Brazil and Trinidad & Tobago in 1998, and both the USA and Greece in 2001.
Alexsandra Vodjanikova of Germany went on to win Top Model of the World 2007 in Egypt. She changed her last name and she won with the name of Alessandra Alores.