It was no surprise when the young beauty queen Kanom Tarina Botes won the crown at Miss Universe Thailand 2026 on the evening of 23 August 2026. Thairath Entertainment takes you through the impressive background of this talented beauty queen.
: Kanom Tarina Botes was born on 17 November 1996 in Roodepoort, South Africa. She is of mixed Thai-South African heritage, with a South African father and a Thai mother. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of South Africa.
Her pageant journey began as South Africa’s representative at Miss International 2016. She then represented South Africa at the international modeling competition Miss Model of the World 2018, reaching the top 36. Later, she competed in Miss South Africa 2018 and advanced to the top 12.
Afterwards, Kanom Tarina began competing in Thai pageants, starting with Miss Grand Phuket 2019, where she won and represented Phuket province at Miss Grand Thailand 2019, making it to the top 10 finalists.
Though she did not win the crown then, Kanom Tarina continued on the pageant path by competing in Miss Universe Thailand 2021, where she earned first runner-up and special awards including Miss People's Choice By Bota-p, Miss Spectacular Top Vote by True 5G, and Miss Real Passion.
She then entered Miss Thailand World 2023 and finally won her first crown, becoming Thailand’s representative at Miss World 2023 in India. She returned to compete in the MGI All Stars 1st Edition and reached the top 10 finalists.
Later, Kanom Tarina competed in Miss Universe Bangkok 2026 and represented Bangkok at Miss Universe Thailand 2026, ultimately winning the crown. This marks a decade of perseverance in pageantry, culminating in winning two major Thai titles.
Whether Kanom Tarina will bring home a third crown for Thailand remains to be seen, as she prepares to represent the country at Miss Universe 2026. The final competition will take place on 24 November 2026 at José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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