Emilie Vansteenkiste (21) from the Felmish Brabant region was elected Miss Belgium 2023 on Saturday in De Panne.
Darline Devos, national director of the beauty contest, announced the winner at the end of the gala evening organised at the Proximus Theatre in the seaside town.
Wearing a pink dress, the young woman received the Belgian tricolour sash and crown that characterise the title of Miss Belgium.
“Thank you all for the votes and support. I will not disappoint you, I will really do my best,” Vansteenkiste promised, while also thanking her family.
Hailing from Elewijt in Flemish Brabant, Miss Belgium 2023 is a student of occupational therapy who speaks both Dutch and French. She is followed by 550,000 people on the social network TikTok and is a Latin dance enthusiast, the gala evening’s presenters said.
Emilie Vansteenkiste was selected from 32 candidates (13 French and 19 Dutch speakers).
Her runners-up are Claire Lansenebre from West Flanders (Knokke-Heist), Victoria Kembukuswa from Walloon Brabant (Waterloo) and Cécile Deltour from the province of Liège (Dison).
Miss Belgium 2023 Emilie Vansteenkiste, first runner up Claire Lansenebre to the right and second runner up Victoria Kembukuswa to the left. Credit: Belga
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The organisation of the final had been disrupted during the evening when an arrest of a man near the venue took place.
A suspect, aged 40, from Lommel, had a weapon in his possession and a second one was found in his vehicle.
Police determined that the attack had successfully been avoided, and made the decision to continue the ceremony as planned, but with a slight delay.
