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HONG KONG – Katarina Rodriguez has been given a second shot in pageantry – and oh, did she hit the target.
On Sunday, October 7, she was crowned as the new Miss World Philippines at the Mall of Asia Arena, beating 39 other candidates for the top crown.
Katarina succeeded Laura Lehmann and now has the daunting task of trying to win the blue crown, first won by Megan Young in 2013.
It has been a journey for Katarina or Katja in the pageant and modeling world. Her journey in pageantry is comparable to that of Miss Universe Philippines 2018 Catriona Gray, who first represented the country in Miss World 2016. (READ: From Miss World Philippines 2016 to Miss Universe Philippines 2018: The journey of Catriona Gray)
Here’s a look back at Katarina’s journey through the years:
Asia’s Next Top Model days
Katarina first came into the public eye when she competed in Asia’s Next Top Model in 2014. She and fellow Filipina Jodilly Pendre were favorites to win the contest.
But it was not meant to be as Malaysia’s Sheena Liam won the title. Jodilly was 1st runner-up, while Katarina was 2nd runner-up.
Binibining Pilipinas 2017
In 2017, reports emerged that Katarina might join Binibining Pilipinas. She was a crowd favorite and had the solid backup of her fans, the Katroopers.
In an interview with Rappler, Katarina said of joining at that time: “This time I decided to join Binibini because for the last two years, I’ve been asked to join and people would always ask, ‘When are you going to join, when are you going to enter the pageant world, you’re modeling?’ And I was kind of shutting it [out] a little bit and over time, I realized that I was interested in it. I would watch, I would Google different beauty queens, not only just here in the Philippines but internationally. “
During the pageant, it was obvious that she was one of the candidates who had the potential to win the Miss Universe Philippines crown. She ended her Binibini stint with the Bb Pilipinas Intercontinental title, suceeding Jennifer Hammond.
In the beginning of her reign, there were reports that she was not happy with the title she won. She cleared matters up when she confirmed that she will keep her title and compete in the Miss Intercontinental competition. (8 fun facts: Bb Pilipinas Intercontinental 2017 Katarina Rodriguez
Miss Interncontinental 2017
After months of preparation for Miss Intercontinental, Katarina left for Egypt in January 2018 where the pageant was held. Based from a number of pageant enthusiasts and blogs, Katarina was a shoo-in to win the title, which the country came close to getting after Kris Janson and Christi McGarry placed 2nd and 1st runner-up in 2014 and 2015.
During the coronation night, it was clear she gave the best answer. But at last, the Miss Intercontinental title remained elusive, with Katarina placing 1st runner-up to Mexico’s Veronica Salas.
Hint of another try…
In March, Katarina hinted the possibility of trying her luck in pageantry once again. Speaking to Rappler’s Voltaire Tayag, she was asked what she was thinking of doing after her Binibini stint.
“My immediate plans are to continue pageantry. It’s something with a time limit and I enjoy it so much. My long term plans are to eventually work in international relations,” she said.
After crowning Karen Gallman, Katarina jetted off to the US, where she took a long vacation. It was in the US where took some more training for what would be her final foray in pageantry – Miss World Philippines.
Second chance to represent the country
Last August, Katarina confirmed that she was giving pageantry another try when she entered the screening of Miss World Philippines.
Speaking to Rappler after the screening, she said: “I’m more nervous I suppose this time.
“Because I have expectations and I just went through na sobrang bago pa (that are so fresh). So it’s more of the mental preparation of like here you go again. Because in order to do a pageant, you’ll need a lot of endurance and stamina.”
It was very clear that she was a force to be reckoned with despite other names such as Kim de Guzman, Maureen Montagne, Alyssa Muhlach Alvarez, and Chanel Morales joining the competition.
During pageant night, Katarina showed experience and at the same time had fun. She won a number of awards and was a fan favorite.
She sealed the deal when she was asked during the Q and A about women being exploited in pageants.
“I’d like to think that one should live by example. And I actually would like to admit that I was one of those before until I learned more about what beauty pageants are about. One thing I can tell you is that you may think it’s very competitive but it’s not. You understand beauty pageants when you know that it is actually not competitive against other women. It’s actually competitive towards yourself. And in a sense, it’s all about woman empowerment. And you can feel that in this group of girls… each girl knows that we are all individually beautiful.”
A day after her win, Katarina posted about being herself in her second try.
“I wanted to share something about authenticity. This is me. Katarina “Katja” Rodriguez at 26 years old. I’ve had people from all directions, coming from everywhere and anywhere judge me like it’s their profession. People who know me, or don’t know me, who think they know me, or may have just heard something through some imaginary grape vine so to speak – giving me constant criticism, be it constructive or just flat out unnecessary. It comes my way day to day. I have people telling me to act this way or that way or not post, wear, or do certain things and at one point I got very confused at who I should be.
“‘Just be yourself, Katarina.’ Me to me. The last two years of my life I had the chance to really get to know who I am as a person, as a woman in fact. And in the last 4 days that all seemed to have gone out the window. I was second guessing every breath I was taking because of the pressure.
“‘..don’t doubt yourself….shake that off,’ someone told me. I kept echoing these words in my mind. Staying true to who you are is so important even in a performance like [Miss World Philippines] because in a world full of many false things, it’s almost like magic to be something so real. I made myself a promise that if I was going to win Miss World Philippines, I would win by being me and doing my thing. And I did exactly that. To anyone with self doubt, again,
“Be who YOU are, the YOU of YOUR soul. With that and kindness you’ll stay golden. “
Now that she’s Miss World Philippines, Katarina is undoubtedly serious in bringing the Miss World crown back to the country. Let’s cheer for Kat when she flies off to Sanya, China in December. – Rappler.com
Check out these stories from our Miss World Philippines 2018 coverage:
- Katarina Rodriguez is Miss World Philippines 2018
- TRANSCRIPT: Miss World Philippines 2018 Q and A
- Meet the Miss World Philippines 2018 candidates
- IN PHOTOS: Miss World Philippines 2018 evening gown competition
- IN PHOTOS: Miss World Philippines 2018 swimsuit segment
- Predictions: Who will win Miss World Philippines 2018?
- Miss World Philippines 2018 Charity Gala review
- FULL LIST: Miss World Philippines 2018 Top Model finalists
- IN PHOTOS: Miss World Philippines 2018 Beach Beauty Competition
- FULL LIST: Miss World Philippines 2018 Swimsuit Competition finalists
- HIGHLIGHTS: Miss World Philippines 2018 Beach Beauty Competition
- WATCH: Miss World Philippines 2018 candidates explore El Nido
- READ: Katarina Rodriguez’s winning answer at Miss World Philippines 2018
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