# Miss World 2008

Miss World 2008 was the 58th edition of the Miss World pageant, held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 13 December 2008.
Zhang Zilin of China crowned Ksenia Sukhinova of Russia as her successor at the end of the event.

## Background
### Date and location

Originally, the pageant was going to take place in Kyiv, Ukraine, but because of the ongoing 2008 Russo-Georgian diplomatic crisis in neighbouring South Ossetia, the Miss World Organization decided to move the pageant away from Eastern Europe.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss World 2008 | Russia – Ksenia Sukhinova |
| 1st Runner-Up | India – Parvathy Omanakuttan |
| 2nd Runner-Up | Trinidad and Tobago – Gabrielle Walcott |
| Top 5 | Angola – Birgite dos Santos  South Africa – Tansey Coetzee |
| Top 15 | Barbados – Natalie Griffith  Brazil – Tamara Almeida  Croatia – Josipa Kusić  Iceland – Alexandra Ívarsdóttir  Kazakhstan – Alfina Nasyrova  Mexico – Anagabriela Espinoza  Puerto Rico – Ivonne Orsini  Spain – Patricia Rodríguez  Ukraine – Iryna Zhuravska  Venezuela – Hannelly Quintero |

### Continental Queens of Beauty

Winners were as follows:
| Continental Group | Contestant |
| Africa | Angola – Birgite dos Santos |
| Americas | Venezuela – Hannelly Quintero |
| Asia & Oceania | India – Parvathy Omanakuttan |
| Caribbean | Trinidad and Tobago – Gabrielle Walcott |
| Europe | Spain – Patricia Yurena Rodríguez |
Top 15
* Russia
* Mexico
* Barbados
* Iceland
* Trinidad and Tobago
* Venezuela
* Ukraine
* Croatia
* Brazil
* Angola
* Kazakhstan
* Puerto Rico
* Spain
* South Africa
* India
Top 5
* India
* Trinidad and Tobago
* Angola
* Russia
* South Africa

## Contestants

Miss World 2008 had a total of 109 contestants.
| Country | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Regional |
| Albania | Egla Harxhi | 17 | Tirana | Europe |
| Angola | Birgite dos Santos | 18 | Luanda | Africa |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Athina James | 18 | St. John's | Caribbean |
| Argentina | Agustina Quinteros | 18 | Santa Rosa | Americas |
| Aruba | Christina Trejo | 20 | Tanki Flip | Caribbean |
| Australia | Katie Richardson | 20 | Albion Park | Asia & Oceania |
| Austria | Kathrin Krahfuss | 23 | Graz | Europe |
| Bahamas | Tinnyse Johnson | 21 | Nassau | Caribbean |
| Barbados | Natalie Griffith | 18 | Bridgetown | Caribbean |
| Belarus | Volha Khizhynkova | 21 | Vitebsk | Europe |
| Belgium | Alizée Poulicek | 21 | Brussels | Europe |
| Belize | Charmaine Chinapen | 21 | Belize City | Americas |
| Bolivia | Jackelin Arias | 18 | Santa Cruz | Americas |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Tanja Vujičić | 18 | Nevesinje | Europe |
| Botswana | Itseng Kgomotso | 19 | Gaborone | Africa |
| Brazil | Tamara Almeida | 23 | Ipatinga | Americas |
| Bulgaria | Julia Yurevich | 19 | Kozloduy | Europe |
| Canada | Leah Ryerse | 20 | Hamilton | Americas |
| Cayman Islands | Nicosia Lawson | 25 | George Town | Caribbean |
| Chile | Nataly Chilet | 23 | Santiago | Americas |
| China | Mei Yan Ling | 25 | Dalian | Asia & Oceania |
| Colombia | Katherine Medina | 18 | Medellín | Americas |
| Costa Rica | Amalia Matamoros | 19 | Naranjo | Americas |
| Croatia | Josipa Kusić | 20 | Zagreb | Europe |
| Curaçao | Norayla Francisco | 23 | Willemstad | Caribbean |
| Cyprus | Mari Vasileiou | 18 | Larnaca | Europe |
| Czech Republic | Zuzana Jandová | 20 | Karviná | Europe |
| Denmark | Lisa Lents | 21 | Copenhagen | Europe |
| Dominican Republic | Geisha Montes De Oca | 21 | Santo Domingo | Caribbean |
| DR Congo | Christelle Mbila | 18 | Kinshasa | Africa |
| Ecuador | Marjorie Cevallos | 22 | Guayaquil | Americas |
| Egypt | Sanaa Ismail Hamed | 24 | Alexandria | Africa |
| El Salvador | Gabriela Gavidia | 18 | La Libertad | Americas |
| England | Laura Coleman | 22 | Leicester | Europe |
| Ethiopia | Hibret Fekadu | 18 | Addis Abeba | Africa |
| Finland | Linda Wikstedt | 19 | Helsinki | Europe |
| France | Laura Tanguy | 20 | Angers | Europe |
| Georgia | Khatuna Skhirtladze | 18 | Tbilisi | Europe |
| Germany | Anne Katrin Walter | 21 | Dahme-Spreewald | Europe |
| Ghana | Frances Takyi-Mensah | 22 | Elmina | Africa |
| Gibraltar | Krystel Robba | 22 | Gibraltar | Europe |
| Greece | Aggeliki Kalaitzi | 24 | Thessaloniki | Europe |
| Guadeloupe | Frédérika Charpentier | 23 | Basse-Terre | Caribbean |
| Guatemala | Maribel Arana | 23 | Guatemala City | Americas |
| Guyana | Christa Simmons | 23 | Georgetown | Americas |
| Honduras | Gabriela Zavala | 23 | San Pedro Sula | Americas |
| Hong Kong | Skye Chan | 24 | Hong Kong | Asia & Oceania |
| Hungary | Szilvia Freire | 24 | Budapest | Europe |
| Iceland | Alexandra Ívarsdóttir | 18 | Reykjavík | Europe |
| India | Parvathy Omanakuttan | 21 | Kottayam | Asia & Oceania |
| Indonesia | Sandra Angelia | 22 | Surabaya | Asia & Oceania |
| Ireland | Sinéad Noonan | 21 | County Meath | Europe |
| Israel | Tamar Ziskind | 23 | Haifa | Asia & Oceania |
| Italy | Claudia Russo | 25 | Messina | Europe |
| Jamaica | Brittany Lyons | 19 | Kingston | Caribbean |
| Japan | Mizuki Kubodera | 21 | Kanagawa | Asia & Oceania |
| Kazakhstan | Alfina Nassyrova | 20 | Almaty | Asia & Oceania |
| Kenya | Ruth Kinuthia | 22 | Nairobi | Africa |
| South Korea | Choi Bo-in | 22 | Seoul | Asia & Oceania |
| Latvia | Ina Avlasēviča | 20 | Dobele | Europe |
| Lebanon | Rosarita Tawil | 20 | Beirut | Asia & Oceania |
| Lithuania | Gabrielė Martirosianaitė | 18 | Kaunas | Europe |
| Malaysia | Soo Wincci | 23 | Selangor | Asia & Oceania |
| Malta | Martha Fenech | 18 | St. Julian's | Europe |
| Martinique | Élodie Delor | 18 | Fort-de-France | Caribbean |
| Mauritius | Olivia Carey | 19 | Vacoas | Africa |
| Mexico | Anagabriela Espinoza | 20 | Monterrey | Americas |
| Moldova | Iana Varnacova | 17 | Chişinău | Europe |
| Mongolia | Chinbatyn Anun | 23 | Ulan Bator | Asia & Oceania |
| Montenegro | Mariana Mihajlović | 18 | Plavnica | Europe |
| Namibia | Marelize Robberts | 21 | Windhoek | Africa |
| Netherlands | Carmen Kool | 22 | Arnhem | Europe |
| New Zealand | Kahurangi Taylor | 18 | Auckland | Asia & Oceania |
| Nigeria | Adaeze Igwe | 18 | Awka | Africa |
| Northern Ireland | Judith Wilson | 23 | Enniskillen | Europe |
| Norway | Lene Egeli | 21 | Stavanger | Europe |
| Paraguay | Gabriela Rejala | 19 | Ñemby | Americas |
| Peru | Annmarie Dehainaut | 18 | Lima | Americas |
| Philippines | Danielle Castaño | 19 | Quezon City | Asia & Oceania |
| Poland | Klaudia Ungerman | 20 | Wysieradz | Europe |
| Portugal | Andreia Rodrigues | 24 | Lisbon | Europe |
| Puerto Rico | Ivonne Orsini | 20 | Bayamón | Caribbean |
| Russia | Ksenia Sukhinova | 21 | Tyumen | Europe |
| Saint Lucia | Joy-Ann Biscette | 22 | Castries | Caribbean |
| Scotland | Stephanie Willemse | 19 | Glasgow | Europe |
| Serbia | Nevena Lipovac | 19 | Belgrade | Europe |
| Seychelles | Elena Angione | 22 | Mahé | Africa |
| Sierra Leone | Tyrilla Gouldson | 24 | Freetown | Africa |
| Singapore | Faraliza Tan | 22 | Singapore | Asia & Oceania |
| Slovakia | Edita Krešáková | 19 | Seňa | Europe |
| South Africa | Tansey Coetzee | 23 | Johannesburg | Africa |
| Spain | Patricia Rodríguez | 18 | Granadilla de Abona | Europe |
| Sri Lanka | Rochelle Correa | 24 | Colombo | Asia & Oceania |
| Swaziland | Tiffany Simelane † | 20 | Mhlambanyatsi | Africa |
| Sweden | Jennifer Palm Lundberg | 22 | Sigtuna | Europe |
| Taiwan | Jamie Lin | 24 | Taichung | Asia & Oceania |
| Tanzania | Nasreen Karim | 22 | Mwanza | Africa |
| Thailand | Ummarapas Jullakasian | 23 | Nonthaburi | Asia & Oceania |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Gabrielle Walcott | 23 | Petit Valley | Caribbean |
| Turkey | Leyla Lydia Tuğutlu | 19 | Istanbul | Europe |
| Uganda | Dora Mwima | 18 | Tororo | Africa |
| Ukraine | Iryna Zhuravska | 18 | Kyiv | Europe |
| United States | Lane Lindell | 18 | Tampa | Americas |
| Uruguay | Fatimih Dávila | 20 | Montevideo | Americas |
| Venezuela | Hannelly Quintero | 23 | Ocumare del Tuy | Americas |
| Vietnam | Dương Trương Thiên Lý | 19 | Đồng Tháp | Asia & Oceania |
| Wales | Chloe-Beth Morgan | 22 | Cwmbran | Europe |
| Zambia | Winfridah Mofu | 19 | Lusaka | Africa |
| Zimbabwe | Cynthia Muvirimi | 25 | Harare | Africa |

## Judges

Miss World 2008 contestants were judged based upon the criteria of glamour, beauty, intelligence and poise. Some of the judges were representatives of the Miss World Organization. Some of the contestants, such as Ksenia Sukhinova, communicated with the judges using a translator. Judges for the event were:
* Julia Morley – Chairwoman of the Miss World Organization.
* Wilnelia Merced – Miss World 1975 from Puerto Rico
* Aminurta Kang – Theatre stage director, China and North America
* Krish Naidoo – International ambassador for Miss World
* Pearl Luthuli – Group executive public commercial services SABC
* Lindiwe Mahlangu – Chief executive of the Joburg Tourism Company
* Precious Moloi-Motsepe – Chairperson of African Fashion International
* Graham Cooke – President of World Travel