Though Canada 🇨🇦 has never won the Miss World title, did you know it’s been very close (as in first runner-up position) three times? The first time it achieved this was in 1984 with Constance Fitzpatrick who was 1RU to Astrid Carolina Herrera of Venezuela 🇻🇪. The second time it achieved this was in 1989 with Leanne Caputo who was 1RU to Aneta Kręglicka of Poland 🇵🇱. The third and most recent time was in 2003 when the incredible Nazanin Afshin-Jam achieved 1RU position to Rosanna Davison of Ireland 🇮🇪.

What made the 2003 year so special, was that this was the first year fast track events were introduced. And Nazanin became the very first finalist called into the Top 20, thanks to her fast track win of the Sports Challenge. 💪 So Canada 🇨🇦 won the first ever Sports Challenge event in the history of Miss World.

One of the most memorable moments for me during the telecast however, was Nazanin’s Top 5 final question. She was asked “Excluding tonight, what is the one event in your life that has most shaped you as a person?” Nazanin answered:

Having also lost a family member quite recently, I teared up listening to Nazanin’s answer, knowing that even in the saddest of times, the true crown in life is having your closest relatives and friends surrounding you. 

Nazanin earned the title of Miss World Americas that year and accompanied Rosanna on some of her trips. After her time serving as Miss World Americas, she became a diplomat in Canada. Not only that, she became an international award-winning human rights activist, author, public speaker, co-founder of “Stop Child Executions” organization and founding member of the Iranian Justice Collective.