Taanu Credits Malaysian Support for Her Miss World Success

The 26-year-old Kuala Lumpur native—affectionately known as Taanu—credited the unwavering support, encouragement, and prayers of her nation as the driving force behind her achievement, which matches a historic milestone last reached 28 years ago.

“Thank you to all Malaysians who have supported me throughout this Miss World competition in Vietnam. I am very grateful that I could make history a second time for our beloved country,” she said after her victory. “Twenty-eight years ago, we also won 2nd runner-up position. After so long, this is another history for our country. Thank you, Malaysia, for supporting and believing in me.”

Dominican Republic’s Joheirry Mola Dominguez claimed the Miss World title, while Spain’s Elisabeth Reynes Alabern took second place.

Taanusiya earned her top-six placement after winning the prestigious Beauty With A Purpose fast-track segment. In her role as Miss Asia, she will travel internationally alongside Dominguez to engage in various global humanitarian initiatives.

Dressed in a custom pink gown by Vietnamese designer Minh Tuan Couture, Taanusiya captivated the panel during the top-six question-and-answer session with her perspective on environmental stewardship. Drawing on her background as an educator, she emphasized the necessity of instilling environmental consciousness in young minds early through tree-planting initiatives—teaching children vital lessons in growth, patience, and accountability.

“Because that is also a responsibility for them to believe how the plant can take time to grow from the seeds they planted. And imagine walking a path with full of thunderstorms and you don’t have anyone to offer you an umbrella.

“But I want to be that sort of teacher who offers the students, no matter what background they are, the seeds they planted take time to grow. And when you do that, you will influence many other people around the world,” she said.

Taanusiya’s top-three finish marks Malaysia’s strongest performance at Miss World in nearly three decades, matching the historic benchmark set by Lina Teoh in 1998 and returning the nation to the global pageant stage's upper echelons after a 28-year wait.