Keen sportswoman Northern Ireland triumphed over her competitors in the Miss World 2010 Sportswoman Final, winning the second guaranteed spot in the live televised final on 30 October.

Despite a 6:30am start, the contestants all entered the spirit of the day, with face paint and banners to support their team mates competing for the honour of their group.

Northern Ireland excelled especially in the long jump event but was also ranked very well in the sprint race and swimming. Her combined score placed her top of the list and she was awarded with the title and a medal – plus that all important place in the Final.

“I’m a triple jumper so I hoped to do well in the long jump,’ said Northern Ireland. “I’m glad I could stand up to the strong competition in the other events and come through with the medal. I’m in the Final! I can’t believe this.”

On the winners’ podium with Northern Ireland were Slovakia in second place and Norway who took third spot. They each received a medal and a bouquet of flowers. The event took place on the beach, gardens and pool of the Sheraton Sanya Resort.

The team competition was battled out by four teams of five girls chosen from the fitness elimination tests held earlier. The team title was won by the blue team(Group 4: Slovakia, St Kitts & Nevis, US Virgin Islands, Turkey and Wales). Second was the white team (Group 3: Mongolia, Paraguay, Martinique, NorthernIreland and Norway), third was the pink team (Group 2: Finland,Guyana, Ireland, Hungary and Iceland) and fourth was the yellow team (Group 1: Australia, Cayman Islands, Botswana, Brazil and Canada).


After a well-deserved lunch back at the Crowne Plaza Sanya, the girls went back into rehearsals for Saturday’s Chinese Fashion Show on a stage in front of the hotel.

The many wonders of Sanya were explored by the Miss World contestants, as they toured some of the region’s sites and beauty spots.

The scenic Phoenix Mountain Park and the lush green Yalong Bay Rainforest were two of the first stops on the sightseeing trip, with the contestants walking through the trees and fields of ferns to get a feel for the natural beauty of the Hainan city’s parklands.

At Luohuitou Deer Looking Back Park, the girls had a wonderful view across Sanya. They heard how the name Luohuitou is derived from a love story. A long time ago, a tyrant emperor desired a pair of deer horns, so he forced a young man named Ahei to hunt for deer on the mountainous areas. When Ahei was hunting, he saw a beautiful spotted deer chased by a panther. He shot the panther with his arrow and ran after the deer for nine days and nine nights. After passing ninety-nine hills, they arrived at the Coral Cliff of Sanya. The deer found no way to escape except jumping into the sea while the hunter was pulling his bow to shoot. Suddenly it turned its head back and changed into a beautiful girl walking towardsthe hunter. Of course, the hunter and the girl fell in love and married.

A charming park has been built on the top of Luhuitou and a huge sculpture 12 metres high depicts the moving legend. Sanya is also nicknamed "Deer City".

Zambia commented: “It is worthwhile coming to theLuohuitou Deer Looking Back Park, as the view is spectacular. There are so many fishing boats in Sanya harbour, which makes it very picturesque.

The contestants also visited the stunning World’s End, with its imposing rocks jutting out of the shoreline. They posed for photographs with media and tourists before one final stop at the Sanya Duty Free shop to see some of the luxury items available for purchase on departure from the island.

The contestants then headed back to the Crowne Plaza Sanya for rehearsals to prepare for Saturday’s Chinese Fashion Show at the hotel.

The many wonders of Sanya were explored by the Miss World contestants, as they toured some of the region’s sites and beauty spots.

The many wonders of Sanya were explored by the Miss World contestants, as they toured some of the region’s sites and beauty spots.

The many wonders of Sanya were explored by the Miss World contestants, as they toured some of the region’s sites and beauty spots.

The many wonders of Sanya were explored by the Miss World contestants, as they toured some of the region’s sites and beauty spots.

The many wonders of Sanya were explored by the Miss World contestants, as they toured some of the region’s sites and beauty spots.

The many wonders of Sanya were explored by the Miss World contestants, as they toured some of the region’s sites and beauty spots.

The many wonders of Sanya were explored by the Miss World contestants, as they toured some of the region’s sites and beauty spots.

The many wonders of Sanya were explored by the Miss World contestants, as they toured some of the region’s sites and beauty spots.

The many wonders of Sanya were explored by the Miss World contestants, as they toured some of the region’s sites and beauty spots.

The many wonders of Sanya were explored by the Miss World contestants, as they toured some of the region’s sites and beauty spots.

The many wonders of Sanya were explored by the Miss World contestants, as they toured some of the region’s sites and beauty spots.

The many wonders of Sanya were explored by the Miss World contestants, as they toured some of the region’s sites and beauty spots.