Van Jaarsveld reaches top 4 of Miss World Sport Challenge

Miss World Namibia 2022 Leoné van Jaarsveld has made it into the top four of the Miss World Sport Challenge in the African countries category.

The Miss World 2023 pageant is currently being held in New Delhi, India.

The opening ceremony for the month-long contest started on 20 February and the grand finale takes place on 9 March.

The other qualifying African countries are Madagascar, Botswana and Morocco.

Van Jaarsveld says Miss World is the only international pageant that does a sport challenge.

She believes sport benefits the mind, body and soul, and thanked the MTC Dome and her personal trainer Eugene for this preparation.

Miss Namibia Organisation chief executive Umbi Karuaihe-Upi says on day five of the pageant, Van Jaarsveld qualified for part one with a beep (fitness) test, where she placed fourth out of 26 African countries, qualifying for the second round of the sport challenge.

“I’m ecstatic about this achievement. I’m so proud of her. Leoné is extremely disciplined, focused and results oriented. She is resilient and will not be deterred by any distractions, big or small, in her way to accomplish what she wants,” Karuaihe-Upi says.

She adds that she’s really glad that all Van Jaarsveld’s hard work has paid off.

“She trained so hard to get herself to top-class fitness level. She promised herself that she will do everything in her power to compete at a very high level in this category. So we are all so, so happy,” says Karuaihe-Upi.

She believes sport and fitness are crucial elements in the overall development of a beauty queen and these should be part and parcel of the mental and physical growth of someone in this field.

“Sports is very important in beauty pageants, as it gives them more self confidence and contributes immensely to the discipline of titleholders and/or country representatives,” she says.

Karuaihe-Upi describes Van Jaarsveld as a go-getter. She says despite major challenges Van Jaarsveld faced, she overcame them one by one.

“Her name means ‘Lioness’ and true to the meaning of her name, she’s a fierce and amazing fighter. She is beautiful, in and out. She indeed is a dream to work with. She is a great communicator and it’s so nice to work with someone who is responsive, responsible and respectful at all times,” Karuaihe-Upi says.

To those who think making it internationally is not possible, Karuaihe-Upi advises against fear. She says to try and always remember that fear disappears immediately when you are well prepared.

“If you work hard on what is required of you, you become confident. Once you are confident, half the race is already won. When you study carefully and you put in all the effort, there is no need to be afraid. Always keep in mind that your mental and physical well-being is of utmost importance in order to succeed,” Karuaihe-Upi says.