Winners row: an overjoyed Leanna Damond is congratulated by the runners-up and other contestants. Leaning towards Damond from right are Marita Persaud and Ulex Atwell.
NEW Amsterdam beauty Leanna Damond was crowned Miss Guyana Universe 2003 one hour into Mashramani Day yesterday and made an early promise to do Guyana proud at the Miss Universe pageant in Panama in May.

Damond, 25, became Mia Rahaman's successor when she answered her final question, telling the judges that a person becomes famous when he/she discovers something, as in the case of Christopher Columbus who `discovered' this part of the world.

"Leanna is a lady in every sense of the word and I'm positive that she'll bring attention to Guyana in Panama", Rahaman said.

After winning the title that will see her receiving G$1M in prizes, Damond told reporters she was "exhilarated" and said she "honestly" did not expect to place in the top five.

She took leave from the University of Guyana in 2001 and in a pre-pageant interview said "with or without the crown" she will commence her fourth year of studies this September to achieve a Degree in Economics.

From the time she emerged on stage dressed in a hot, sexy, black short pants with matching leggings from the knee to the ankle and shimmering gold pom-poms, the crowd went wild.

When she made the brief appearance in swimsuit the reaction was no less enthusiastic. Incidentally, Damond received the Miss Body Beautiful prize.

Thanks to ace overseas-based Guyanese designer, Roger Gary, Leanna wowed beyond expectation when it came time for the evening gown competition. She was simply stunning and quickly made the other delegates fade into the background.

Once she was named in the top 10, everyone expected the "beauty with brains" to walk through the interview segment.

She was not as impressive as was expected, and Pomeroon delegate Marita Persaud, exuding charm and delivering promptly and fluently, emerged as the new crowd favourite.

Once she was in the top five along with Damond, they were the only two who were preferred for the crown.

The five finalists were asked the same question and when the crowd was not all too pleased with the answer that Damond gave, they began rooting for Persaud to take the crown.

However, Marita's answer was not to the liking of the judges.

In answering the question about what makes a person famous, she said their "inner qualities". There were screams of "no" when she was adjudged 3rd runner-up.

The other crowd favourite from the start was Ulex Atwell. However, except for die-hard supporters, most were dissatisfied with the way she responded to questions and it was almost certain that she would not be sent to Panama.

She tied with Shevonne Thomas for the 1st runner-up spot.

It seemed that Thomas was heading for the perfect answer when she said a person becomes famous because of the things they achieve in life. The reaction from the audience was overwhelming and it appeared that Thomas, unfortunately, decided to leave it at that.

Danielle McIntyre was a surprise entry into the top five given her response to the questions in the semi-finals.

When it came time to answer the final question, she caused jaws to drop in disbelief when she said, "their personality, all that they do, people".

Except for the finalists, those who placed in the top 10 were Latoya Perreira, Sheldyne Ferreira, Nerissa Adams, Candacie Isaacs and Analisa Reynolds.

Amanda Barnwell was named Miss Congeniality, Candacie Isaacs was named Miss Best Smile and Julianna Fortune was named the delegate with the Best Hairstyle.

Though the National Cultural Centre was not sold out as it was for last year's pageant, franchise holder, Mr. Odinga Lumumba delivered on his promise to make the entertainment better and he did so magnificently!

With an `Umbrella Party' by the National School of Dance at the start, reggae soul pieces by Jamaican Richie Stevens in the middle, and serenading by Compton Hodges and Sean Bhola at the end, patrons got their money's worth despite a late start and finish.

The international fashion show put on by Roger Gary was hot but many wanted to see more.

A skit titled `Man can't do without woman' by comedian Henry Rodney and Company was a tickler from start to finish.

As the two main characters argued their point, the audience got into the action. When the ladies started agreeing that "man can't do without woman", the men were rebutting with shouts of "yes".

Despite all the love shown to Richie Stevens, Guyanese showed that they are proud of their own and showered young Megan Vieira with applause so much so that she had to sing two songs in a row!

Several appearances by Miss Venezuela Cynthia Zamora, plus a single walk by Guyanese-born Miss Washington DC Teen Natasha Prakash added to the splendour of the evening.

Mia Rahaman took her final walk as Miss Guyanese Universe 2002 thanking the Guyanese people for their support and urging all the delegates never ever to give up on their dreams.