Taanusiya Chetty Matches Malaysia’s Best Ever Miss World Result With 3rd Place Finish

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Malaysian contestant Taanusiya Chetty has finished third at Miss World 2026, matching the country's best-ever result at the international beauty pageant

The 26-year-old was named second runner-up at the final in Nha Trang, Vietnam, on Saturday, 5 September, finishing behind winner Joheirry Mola Dominguez of the Dominican Republic and first runner-up Elisabeth Reynes Alabern of Spain.

Taanusiya also won the Beauty With A Purpose award, one of Miss World's major recognitions for contestants' community projects and advocacy work. Her win in the segment helped secure her place in the top six.

According to her Miss World profile, Taanusiya is a secondary school English teacher, model, and activist whose advocacy focuses on education and community development.

She founded Be The Change Malaysia in 2022, where she runs educational and emotional empowerment programmes for underserved and Orang Asli children.

Her third-place finish also matches Lina Teoh's historic result in 1998, making it Malaysia's best-ever performance at Miss World.

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For the final, Taanusiya wore a pink gown by Vietnamese designer Minh Tuan Couture and impressed the judges during the Q&A round, where she spoke about the importance of environmental protection for future generations

Drawing on her experience as a teacher, the Kuala Lumpur native highlighted the importance of cultivating environmental awareness from an early age through tree planting, while teaching children about growth, patience, and responsibility.

"I want to be the sort of teacher who offers students, no matter their background, the seeds to plant that take time to grow. When you do that, you will influence many others around the world," she said.

The beauty queen had previously made headlines for speaking fluently in Malay, English, Mandarin, and Tamil during the Head-to-Head Challenge for Asia and Oceania

Her performance throughout the competition has since drawn praise from beauty pageant fans both locally and abroad.

Following the competition, Taanusiya took to Threads to thank Malaysians for their support and reflect on what it meant to represent the country on the international stage.

"I honestly don't know how to feel. Being able to represent my country this far is such a great honour. Now, I just hope that more people will believe that a teacher can also dream big, go far, and represent our country on the world stage.

"With all my heart, everything I fight for and do for Be The Change Malaysia comes from my belief that change begins with one small step," she said.

"Thank you all so much for believing in me. This isn't just about how far I've gone, but about how far we can go together in creating change," she added.

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Congratulations, Taanusiya!