Adline Castelino during the Miss Universe 2021 ceremony in US. Twitter photo

22-year-old Indian model, Adline Castelino, emerged as the third runner-up at the 69th edition of Miss Universe 2021, held in the US. It has taken India 20 years since Lara Dutta won the title, to gain a position in the competition which saw 74 participants from across the globe.

One being asked the reason why she might not have won the title, the Kuwait-born model tells: “No reason to feel that way, every woman out there gave their best in the limited resources and challenges this year has placed.”

When asked, “How does it feel to be at the Miss Universe contest?,” she said: “Inexplicable emotions and gratitude for the love and admiration people have showered unconditionally, even during these challenging times people have come forward to express their delight and acknowledged our achievement at Miss Universe.”

When asked how did she manage her training despite being infected with Covid, she replied: “Being in last leg of the preparations, honestly very challenging mentally and physically not only for me but for the team to get everything arranged. I kept my mind positive which become incredibly hard to do due to isolation and medication. Focused on the task in hand, fighting fears and on taking one step at a time. It feels like a miracle but we made it! It was truly meant to be!”

Talking about the level of competition at such high-profile event, she said: “I think being present and taking smart and fast decisions is very important at a pageant while at the same time enjoying the journey positively. This can only happen if you have prepared well and completely before the pageant.” Sharing her experience, she said: “Every woman there had a unique journey, their projects and work in their societies truly inspired me the entire year to do more and be more. Meeting them in person increased my admiration for them and I’m glad to call them my friends now.”

Talking about not getting the crown, she said: “No reason to feel that way, every woman out there gave their best in the limited resources and challenges this year has placed. I feel the winner is very deserving and I will be supporting her in her journey this year and hope women globally don’t look at each other as competitors but as team member helping each other to get ahead.”

Sharing her message to the next Miss Diva winner, she said: “She has my support and guidance. The message that I would want to pass to her, something that our Miss Universe Lara Dutta told me “Give it your best, you can control what you do and not what happens.” 

Sharing her intention to join Bollywood, she said: “Absolutely yes! Looking forward to meaningful projects that I could contribute to, also at the moment I’m trying to learn more about logistics to be able to start up my agro business.”

Indo-Asian News Service