MOSCOW, December 13. /TASS/. Harnaaz Sandhu of India won the Miss Universe 2021 beauty pageant held in Israel’s resort city of Eilat on Sunday.

The top 10 contestants from around the world walked down the runway during the swimsuit round. Five candidates were selected to participate in the question and answer round before the final.

After this round, the top 3 finalists that were chosen were Miss India, Miss Paraguay, and Miss South Africa.

In a speech on stage during the beauty pageant, Sandhu was asked to give her advice to young women watching on how to deal with the pressures they are facing today. "The biggest pressure the youth of today is facing is to believe in themselves. To know that you are unique and that's what makes you beautiful. Stop comparing yourself to others and let's talk about more important things that's happening worldwide," Sandhu responded. "This is what you need to understand. Come out, speak for yourself because you are the leader of your life. You are your own voice. I believed in myself and that's why I'm standing here today."

Sandhu was crowned the 70th Miss Universe, topping a field of some 80 contestants. This year, Russia was represented by Ralina Arabova, Miss Tatarstan 2019 and Second Vice-Miss Russia 2019.