Miss Universe 2021 has been announced and it’s Harnaaz Sandhu from India. The 21-year-old  won the prestigious title at Universe Dome in Eilat, Israel. A moment of pride for India, as Sandhu brings home the Miss Universe crown after a long 21 years. So far, India has won the crown twice—Sushmita Sen in 1994 and Lara Dutta in 2000.

A tough contest this year, the Indian model was one among 80 contestants who took part in the pageant. An emotional Sandhu received the crown from Miss Universe 2020 winner Andrea Meza of Mexico. Joining the 2021 Miss Universe on stage was runner-up Miss Paraguay Nadia Ferreira, and second runner-up Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane.

The exciting news was announced on the @missuinverse Instagram page, with a clip captioned “The new Miss Universe is…India”.

Image credit: Miss Universe