Zuleyka Rivera
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Zuleyka Rivera Beauty pageant titleholder |
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|---|---|
| Birth name: | Zuleyka Jerrís Rivera Mendoza |
| Birthdate: | October 3, 1987 (age 19) |
| Birth location: |   Cayey, Puerto Rico |
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Eye color: | Brown |
| Hair color: | Brown |
| Weight: | 100 lb (45 kg) |
| Title(s): | Miss Salinas 2006 Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2006 Miss Universe 2006 |
| Major Competition(s): | Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2006 (winner) Miss Universe 2006 (winner) |
Zuleyka Jerrís Rivera Mendoza (born October 3, 1987 in Cayey, Puerto Rico, and raised in Salinas, Puerto Rico) is a beauty queen who has held the titles Miss Puerto Rico Universe and Miss Universe 2006.
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[edit] Miss Universe 2006
Rivera represented Puerto Rico in the Miss Universe 2006 pageant which was televised live internationally from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on July 23, 2006. After competing in swimsuit, evening gown and interview, she was crowned Miss Universe by outgoing titleholder Natalie Glebova of Canada.
Later that evening, Rivera fainted briefly during a press appearance. The incident was reportedly attributed to heat exhaustion (from the stage lights) coupled with the weight of the heavy, chained dress she was wearing.[1]
Rivera was the fifth Puerto Rican to win the title, which makes the territory the second most successful entity in the pageant (behind the United States). Prior to Rivera's win, Puerto Rico had been tied with Venezuela, with each having won the pageant four times. Rivera was the third consecutive delegate from Puerto Rico to make the top five at Miss Universe, after Alba Reyes placed second runner-up at Miss Universe 2004 and Cynthia Olavarría was first runner-up at Miss Universe 2005.
Rivera's win comes only five years after Denise Quiñones, the most recent winner from Puerto Rico, won the crown. Rivera was crowned by Natalie Glebova of Canada, Miss Universe 2005. As Miss Universe, Rivera represents the Miss Universe Organization, both in the United States and internationally. She is based in New York City, where she shared an apartment with Tara Conner, Miss USA and Katie Blair, Miss Teen USA 2006.
[edit] A Year in the life as Miss Universe
After being crowned on July 23, 2006 in Los Angeles, Zuleyka was interviewed by many news teams in Los Angeles and when she arrived at her new home in New York.
From the end of July until early August, Zuleyka traveled to Japan where she presented the Five Star Diamond Award to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Tokyo. She also participated in a photo shoot with Kurara Chibana, Miss Universe Japan (and first runner-up), and Zuleyka also visited Mikimoto, the creators of her dazzling crown. In late August, Zuleyka traveled to Indonesia where she attended the opening of a new spa, met with the Minister of Culture, and attended the Miss Indonesia Universe pageant where Agni Pratistha was crowned. While in Indonesia, Zuleyka also visited Bali. On September 4, 2006, Zuleyka returned to her home, Puerto Rico for an official homecoming celebration and parade. The following day, Zuleyka returned to her hometown of Salinas.[2].
As of March 2007, Zuleyka has traveled to the Czech Republic, Russia, Turkey, France, Greece, Kazakhstan, and India, in addition to Japan, Indonesia, and Puerto Rico.
She is expected to pass on her crown at the Miss Universe 2007 pagent on May 28, 2007.
[edit] Family and Personal Life
Prior to winning the Miss Puerto Rico title she won the local pageant for her hometown of Salinas. She had also placed as the first runner-up in the Miss Teen Puerto Rico pageant. Only eighteen years of age when she was crowned Miss Universe, Rivera is one of the youngest women to win the title. She is also the first winner from Puerto Rico to have noticeable mixed heritage features, as her four predecessors (Marisol Malaret, Deborah Carthy-Deu, Dayanara Torres, and Denise Quinones) all have distinctly European features.
In the December 8, 2006 edition of the New York Post's popular gossip page, Page Six, it was reported that Rivera was seen having a very intimate dinner with San Juan club owner Shimmy McHugh at a popular New York City restaurant. A close friend of McHugh confirmed to the newspaper that Rivera and McHugh are currently dating. [3]
[edit] Notes
- Miss Universe official website
- Fansite :Zuleyka Rivera Fan Site
- Miss PR Unofficial Page
- An interview with Zuleyka Rivera prior to her winning the Miss Universe title
- Zuleyka Rivera-related website
| Preceded by Cynthia Olavarria |
Miss Puerto Rico 2006 |
Succeeded by Uma Blasini |
| Preceded by Natalie Glebova |
Miss Universe 2006 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Miss Universe Organization Titleholders 2006 |
||
| Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera |
Miss USA Tara Conner |
Miss Teen USA Katie Blair |
| Big Four Pageants (2006) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera |
Miss World Taťána Kuchařová |
Miss Earth Hil Hernandez |
Miss International Daniela di Giacomo |
