New Yorker Kira Kazantsev crowned Miss America

Published September 15, 2014
Miss New York Kira Kazantsev (L) reacts after being announced as the winner of the 2015 Miss America Competition in Atlantic City, New Jersey September 14, 2014. Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri (C) and runner up Miss Virginia Courtney Paige Garrett are seen on the right. – Photo by Reuters
Miss New York Kira Kazantsev (L) reacts after being announced as the winner of the 2015 Miss America Competition in Atlantic City, New Jersey September 14, 2014. Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri (C) and runner up Miss Virginia Courtney Paige Garrett are seen on the right. – Photo by Reuters

New Yorker Kira Kazantsev won the coveted 2015 Miss America Pageant crown on Sunday, a "three-peat" for contenders from the Big Apple.

As part of the competition, Kazantsev, 23, sang Pharrell William's song "Happy", keeping time by tapping a red plastic cup. She said in a question-and-answer segment that sexual assault in the U.S. military was a problem that needed to be addressed by U.S. lawmakers.

Wearing a long-sleeved, backless white gown and clutching red roses, the newest Miss America walked the runway with a wide smile and waved to a cheering crowd in Atlantic City, where the 94-year-old beauty pageant returned last year after eight years in Las Vegas.

Kazantsev's win marked New York's third consecutive Miss America title. The crown was handed to Kazantsev by Nina Davuluri, a New Yorker and the first Indian-American winner. Davuluri was the successor to Mallory Hagan from New York.

The title comes with a $50,000 scholarship.

Kira's platform is focused on protecting women from domestic violence, and the Miss America Organization said she regularly spoke at homeless and domestic violence shelters.

Pageant judges scored contestants from the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands based on a talent competition, a personal interview, their answers to an on-stage question, and their appearance in gowns and swimsuits.

Atlantic City officials hope the pageant will help revive the city in the wake of recent financial turmoil. The pageant was held in a hall next to Trump Plaza, whose slated shutdown on Tuesday means the gambling mecca will have lost a third of its casinos since the start of the year.

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.