PH's Christina Vanhefflin places 4th runner-up in 53rd Miss Intercontinental

Christina Vanhefflin of the Philippines placed fourth runner-up at the 53rd Miss Intercontinental pageant.

The 20-year-old beauty queen from Leyte secured her spot in the Top 25 and Top 7 after winning the Power of Beauty Award, during the pagent held in Egypt on Jan. 30 (Philippine time). This special honor, which recognizes a contestant’s intelligence, personality, and advocacy, marks a back-to-back win for the Philippines; her predecessor, Alyssa Redondo, made history as the award’s first-ever recipient.

During the question-and-answer portion, she was asked about the values she believed are essential in today's society.

"I believe one value is to be strong no matter what. You know, I stand here because I am strong. I am full of courage. I was diagnosed with mental disorder, I was diagnosed with major mental disorder—that was a difficult time for me. But you know, I'm here right now because I am full of courage, and I want everyone to believe in that. To believe in yourself that you can do it, no matter the challenges you face in life," she answered.

Russia's Varvara Yakovenko bested 56 other delegates in the competition and took home the crown.

Rounding out the top court were Cuba (1st runner-up), Thailand's Vanessa Wenk, and Tanzania's Faidha Kassim, with Kika Marques das Neves of Ecuador and Brilliant Maroko of Kenya getting the fifth and sixth runner-up spots, respectively.

Vanfefflin was aiming for the Philippines' third Miss Intercontinental title, hoping to follow in the footsteps of previous winners Karen Gallman and Cindy Obeñita, who won in 2018 and 2021, respectively.

Since 2023, Mutya ng Pilipinas has held the franchise rights to send the country's delegates to the pageant, taking over from Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc.