Miss Nigeria has been crowned Miss World 2001, the first black African ever
to win the contest.
Loud applause greeted Agbani Darego, an 18-year-old computer science
student, who took first place from among more than 90 contestants in the
South African luxury casino resort of Sun City.
Zerelda Lee - Miss Aruba - took the prize for first runner up and
Juliet-Jane Horne of Scotland won second runner up.
The contest was the first to be decided with the help of TV audiences, who
contributed 50% of the vote for the top 10 finalists. The winners were then
chosen by the jury.

Organisers said over a billion viewers around the world were expected to
have watched the show, compered by American talk show host Jerry Springer.

Favourites Carrie Ann Stroup - Miss USA - and Christianne Balmeli - Miss
Chile - both failed to make the final.

'Computer scientist'

Ms Darego said after the contest that when she looked in the mirror she saw
a young girl who wanted to be a computer scientist as well as a super model.
"I am so, so happy. It's a wonderful feeling and it's indescribable... I
know back home they were all watching out for me and I am happy I made them
proud," she said.

Ms Darego is the fourth African to win the Miss World contest, normally
dominated by winners from Europe, the Americas and India.

White South Africans won the pageant in 1958 and 1974, and an Arab Egyptian
was victorious in 1954.

The Miss World pageant has since the 1970s been the target of protest by
feminists who regarded it as degrading to women.

But it now presents itself as socially conscious and raises money for
children's causes. There were said to be no protests this year.

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