View source for Miss Universe 1998

{{Short description|47th Miss Universe pageant}}
{{pp-sock|small=yes}}
{{more footnotes|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox beauty pageant
| photo = File:Wendy_Fitzwilliam.jpg 
| caption= [[Wendy Fitzwilliam]]
| winner = [[Wendy Fitzwilliam]]
| represented = Trinidad and Tobago
| date = 12 May 1998
| presenters = {{Hlist|[[Jack Wagner (actor)|Jack Wagner]]|[[Ali Landry]]|[[Julie Moran]]}}
| acts = {{Hlist|[[K-Ci & JoJo]]|Sunland}}
| entrants = 81
| placements = 10
| venue = [[Stan Sheriff Center|Stan Sheriff Arena]], [[Honolulu]], [[Hawaii]], [[United States]]
| broadcaster = [[CBS]] ([[KGMB]])
| debuts = Angola
| withdraws = {{Hlist|Bermuda|Iceland|Turks and Caicos Islands}}
| returns = {{Hlist|Ghana|Great Britain|Guam|Japan|Netherlands|Nicaragua|Nigeria|Norway|Yugoslavia}}
| before = [[Miss Universe 1997|1997]]
| next = [[Miss Universe 1999|1999]]
}}

'''Miss Universe 1998''' was the 47th [[Miss Universe]] pageant, was held on 12 May 1998 at the [[Stan Sheriff Center|Stan Sheriff Arena]] in [[Honolulu]], [[Hawaii]]. [[Wendy Fitzwilliam]] of [[Trinidad and Tobago]] was crowned by [[Brook Lee]] of the United States at the end of the event. This marked the only second (and most recent) time that Trinidad and Tobago has won Miss Universe. 81 contestants competed in this year.

==Results==
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2024}}
===Placements===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%;"
|- 
! Placement
! Contestant
|-
| Miss Universe 1998
|
* {{flag|Trinidad and Tobago}} – [[Wendy Fitzwilliam]]
|-
| 1st runner-up
|
* {{flag|Republic of Venezuela|1954|name=Venezuela}} – [[Veruska Ramírez]]
|-
| 2nd runner-up
|
* {{flag|Puerto Rico}} – [[Joyce Giraud]]
|-
| Top 5
|
* {{flag|Colombia}} – Silvia Fernanda Ortiz
* {{flag|United States}} – [[Shawnae Jebbia]]
|-
| Top 10
|
* {{flag|Brazil}} – Michella Marchi
* {{flag|India}} – [[Lymaraina D'Souza]]
* {{flag|Ireland}} – [[Andrea Roche]]
* {{flag|Russia}} – [[Anna Malova]]
* {{flag|South Africa}} - [[Kerishnie Naicker]]
|}

==Background==
===Selection of participants===

==== Replacements ====
[[Linor Abargil]], [[Miss Israel]] 1998 couldn't compete due to being underage. Hagit Raz, the first runner-up, went in her place.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pageantopolis.com/international/israel_1995-99.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106194417/http://www.pageantopolis.com/international/israel_1995-99.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-date=2009-01-06|title=Israel 1995-99|date=2009-01-06|access-date=2019-04-16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-482048,FF.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020204112531/http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-482048,FF.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2002-02-04|title=Ynet - מלכות יופי|date=2002-02-04|access-date=2019-04-16}}</ref> The winner of Binibining Pilipinas Universe 1998, [[Tisha Silang]] had to resign due to her Canadian citizenship. The pageant's first runner-up, Jewel Mae Lobaton, was selected as her replacement.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last= |last2= |date=April 26, 2010 |title=Top 10 Dethroned Beauty Queens |url=http://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/41706/top-10-dethroned-beauty-queens |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100721074453/http://www.spot.ph:80/newsfeatures/41706/top-10-dethroned-beauty-queens |archive-date=2010-07-21 |access-date=October 3, 2021 |website=SPOT.PH |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=March 17, 1998 |title=RP entries |work=[[Manila Standard]] |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6ZYVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9goEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4545%2C1803584 |access-date=October 3, 2021}}</ref>

== Contestants ==
[[File:Miss Universe 1998 Map.PNG|thumb|250px|Countries and territories which sent delegates and results for Miss Universe 1998]]Eighty-one contestants competed for the title.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%;"
!Country/Territory
!Contestant
!Age
!Hometown
|-
|{{flagicon|ANG}} [[Miss Angola|Angola]]
|Emilia Guardano
|22
|[[Benguela]]
|-
|{{flagicon|ARG}} [[Miss Argentina|Argentina]]
|Marcela Brane<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-04-15 |title=“Más linda que nunca”: qué fue de Marcela Brane, la protagonista de la publicidad de Reduce Fat-Fast |url=https://www.lanacion.com.ar/espectaculos/mas-linda-que-nunca-que-fue-de-marcela-brane-la-protagonista-de-la-publicidad-de-reduce-fat-fast-nid15042021/ |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=LA NACION |language=es}}</ref>
|24
|[[Córdoba, Argentina|Cordoba]]
|-
|{{flagicon|ARU}} [[Miss Aruba|Aruba]]
|Wendy Lacle
|21
|[[San Nicolaas]]
|-
|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Miss Universe Australia|Australia]]
|Renee Henderson
|21
|[[Melbourne]]
|-
|{{flagicon|Bahamas}} [[Miss Universe Bahamas|Bahamas]]
|Juliette Sargent
|19
|[[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]]
|-
|{{flagicon|BEL}} [[Miss Belgium|Belgium]]
|[[Sandrine Corman]]
|18
|[[Verviers]]
|-
|{{flagicon|BLZ}} [[Miss Universe Belize|Belize]]
|Elvia Vega
|19
|[[Corozal Town|Corozal]]
|-
|{{flagicon|BOL}} [[Miss Bolivia|Bolivia]]
|Veronica Larrieu
|23
|[[Santa Cruz de la Sierra]]
|-
|{{flagicon|BON}} [[Miss Bonaire|Bonaire]]
|Uzmin Everts
|18
|[[Kralendijk]]
|-
|{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Miss Brazil|Brazil]]
|Michella Marchi
|20
|[[Dourados]]
|-
|{{flagicon|VGB}} [[Miss British Virgin Islands|British Virgin Islands]]
|Kaida Donovan
|23
|West-End
|-
|{{flagicon|BUL}} [[Miss Universe Bulgaria|Bulgaria]]
|Natalia Gourkova
|20
|[[Sofia]]
|-
|{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Miss Universe Canada|Canada]]
|[[Juliana Thiessen-Day|Juliana Thiessen]]
|18
|[[Regina, Saskatchewan|Regina]]
|-
|{{flagicon|CHL}} [[Miss Universo Chile|Chile]]
|Claudia Arnello
|22
|[[Santiago]]
|-
|{{flagicon|COL}} [[Miss Colombia|Colombia]]
|Silvia Fernanda Ortiz
|21
|[[Bucaramanga]]
|-
|{{flagicon|CRC}} [[Miss Costa Rica|Costa Rica]]
|Kisha Alvarado
|–
|[[San José, Costa Rica|San José]]
|-
|{{flagicon|CRO}} [[Miss Universe Croatia|Croatia]]
|Ivana Grzetić
|19
|[[Dubrovnik]]
|-
|{{flagicon|CUR}} [[Curaçao]]
|Natacha Bloem
|–
|[[Willemstad]]
|-
|{{flagicon|CYP}} [[Miss Cyprus|Cyprus]]
|Daniella Iordanova
|20
|[[Larnaca]]
|-
|{{flagicon|CZE}} [[Miss České republiky|Czech Republic]]
|Kristina Fridvalská
|20
|[[Beroun]]
|-
|{{flagicon|DOM}} [[Miss Dominican Republic|Dominican Republic]]
|Selinés Méndez
|23
|[[Santo Domingo]]
|-
|{{flagicon|ECU}} [[Miss Ecuador|Ecuador]]
|Soraya Hogonaga
|21
|[[Guayaquil]]
|-
|{{flagicon|EGY}} [[Miss Egypt|Egypt]]
|Karine Fahmy
|19
|[[Cairo]]
|-
|{{flagicon|SLV}} [[Nuestra Belleza El Salvador|El Salvador]]
|María Gabriela Jovel
|24
|[[San Salvador]]
|-
|{{flagicon|EST}} [[Miss Estonia|Estonia]]
|Mari Lawrens
|25
|[[Tallinn]]
|-
|{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Miss Finland|Finland]]
|Jonna Kauppila
|21
|[[Kokkola]]
|-
|{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Miss France|France]]
|[[Sophie Thalmann]]
|22
|[[Bar-le-Duc]]
|-
|{{flagicon|DEU}} [[Miss Universe Germany|Germany]]
|Katharina Mainka
|22
|[[Neustadt an der Weinstraße]]
|-
|{{flagicon|GHA}} [[Miss Universe Ghana|Ghana]]
|Francisca Awuah
|20
|[[Cape Coast]]
|-
|{{flagicon|GRB}} [[Miss Universe Great Britain|Great Britain]]
|[[Leilani Dowding]]
|19
|[[Bournemouth]]
|-
|{{flagicon|GRE}} [[Star Hellas|Greece]]
|Dimitra Eginiti
|19
|[[Athens]]
|-
|{{flagicon|GUM}} [[Miss Guam|Guam]]
|Joylyn Munoz
|21
|[[Barrigada, Guam|Barrigada]]
|-
|{{flagicon|GUA}} [[Miss Guatemala|Guatemala]]
|Astrid Ramírez
|21
|[[Guatemala City]]
|-
|{{flagicon|HON|variant=1949}} [[Miss Honduras|Honduras]]
|[[Dania Prince]]
|18
|[[Choluteca, Choluteca|Choluteca]]
|-
|{{flagicon|HKG}} [[Miss Hong Kong Pageant|Hong Kong]]
|Virginia Yung
|24
|Hong Kong
|-
|{{flagicon|HUN}} [[Miss Universe Hungary|Hungary]]
|Agnes Nagy
|18
|[[Budapest]]
|-
|{{flagicon|IND}} [[Femina Miss India|India]]
|[[Lymaraina D'Souza]]
|19
|[[Mumbai]]
|-
|{{flagicon|IRL}} [[Miss Universe Ireland|Ireland]]
|[[Andrea Roche]]
|21
|[[Clonmel]]
|-
|{{flagicon|ISR}} [[Miss Israel|Israel]]
|Hagit Raz
|18
|[[Holon]]
|-
|{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Miss Universo Italia|Italy]]
|Claudia Trieste
|18
|[[Calabria]]
|-
|{{flagicon|JAM}} [[Miss Jamaica Universe|Jamaica]]
|Shani McGraham
|18
|[[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston]]
|-
|{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Miss Universe Japan|Japan]]
|Nana Okumura
|24
|[[Tokyo]]
|-
|{{flagicon|LBN}} [[Miss Lebanon|Lebanon]]
|Nina Kadis
|24
|[[Hadchit]]
|-
|{{flagicon|MYS}} [[Miss Universe Malaysia|Malaysia]]
|[[Sherine Wong]]
|19
|[[Kuala Lumpur]]
|-
|{{flagicon|MLT}} [[Miss Malta|Malta]]
|Carol Cassar
|20
|[[Valletta]]
|-
|{{flagicon|MUS}} [[Miss Mauritius|Mauritius]]
|Leena Ramphul
|–
|[[Port Louis]]
|-
|{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Mexicana Universal|Mexico]]
|[[Katty Fuentes]]
|21
|[[Monterrey]]
|-
|{{flagicon|NAM}} [[Miss Namibia|Namibia]]
|Retha Reinders
|–
|[[Windhoek]]
|-
|{{flagicon|NLD}} [[Miss Nederland|Netherlands]]
|Jacqueline Rotteveel
|18
|[[Bilthoven]]
|-
|{{flagicon|NZL}} [[Miss Universe New Zealand|New Zealand]]
|Rosemary Rassell
|22
|[[Tauranga]]
|-
|{{NIC}}
|Claudia Alaniz
|21
|[[Managua]]
|-
|{{flagicon|NGA}} [[Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria|Nigeria]]
|Chika Chikezie
|21
|[[Imo State|Imo]]
|-
|{{flagicon|MNP}} [[Miss Marianas|Northern Mariana Islands]]
|Helene Yun Lizama
|22
|[[Dandan, Saipan|Dandan]]
|-
|{{flagicon|NOR}} [[Miss Norway|Norway]]
|Stine Bergsvand
|22
|[[Stathelle]]
|-
|{{flagicon|PAN}} [[Señorita Panamá|Panama]]
|[[Tanisha Drummond]]
|21
|[[Colón, Panama|Colón]]
|-
|{{flagicon|PAR}} [[Miss Paraguay|Paraguay]]
|Luz Marina González
|19
|[[Pilar, Paraguay|Pilar]]
|-
|{{flagicon|PER}} [[Miss Perú 2000|Peru]]
|Karim Bernal
|23
|[[Lima]]
|-
|{{flagicon|PHL}} [[Binibining Pilipinas 1998|Philippines]]
|Jewel Lobaton<ref name=":1" />
|21
|[[Bacolod]]
|-
|{{flagicon|POL}} [[Miss Polonia|Poland]]
|Sylwia Kupiec
|22
|[[Tczew]]
|-
|{{flagicon|POR}} [[Miss República Portuguesa|Portugal]]
|Icilia Berenguel
|21
|[[Póvoa de Varzim]]
|-
|{{flagicon|PUR}} [[Miss Universe Puerto Rico|Puerto Rico]]
|[[Joyce Giraud]]
|23
|[[Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico|Aguas Buenas]]
|-
|{{flagicon|ROM}} [[Miss Romania|Romania]]
|Juliana Elena Verdes
|19
|[[Galați]]
|-
|{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Miss Russia|Russia]]
|[[Anna Malova]]
|23
|[[Moscow]]
|-
|{{flagicon|SGP}} [[Miss Universe Singapore|Singapore]]
|Alice Lim
|22
|Singapore
|-
|{{flagicon|SVK}} [[Miss Universe Slovenskej Republiky|Slovakia]]
|Vladimíra Hreňovčíková
|19
|[[Zvolen]]
|-
|{{flagicon|ZAF}} [[Miss South Africa|South Africa]]
|[[Kerishnie Naicker]]
|20
|[[Durban]]
|-
|{{flagicon|KOR}} [[Miss Korea|South Korea]]
|Kim Ji-yeon
|25
|[[Seoul]]
|-
|{{flagicon|SPA}} [[Miss Spain|Spain]]
|María José Besora
|22
|[[Murcia]]
|-
|{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Miss Sweden|Sweden]]
|[[Jessica Olérs]]
|20
|[[Borlänge]]
|-
|{{flagicon|CHE}} [[Miss Switzerland|Switzerland]]
|Tanja Gutmann
|21
|[[Zürich]]
|-
|{{flagicon|TWN|variant=Chinese Taipei}} [[Miss Chinese Taipei|Taiwan]]
|Annie Tsai
|25
|Nantou
|-
|{{flagicon|THA}} [[Miss Universe Thailand|Thailand]]
|Chalida Thaochalee
|24
|[[Bangkok]]
|-
|{{flagicon|TTO}} [[Miss Universe Trinidad and Tobago|Trinidad and Tobago]]
|[[Wendy Fitzwilliam]]
|25
|[[Diego Martin]]
|-
|{{flagicon|TUR}} [[Miss Turkey|Turkey]]
|[[Asuman Krause]]
|22
|[[Ankara]]
|-
|{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Miss Ukraine Universe|Ukraine]]
|Olena Spirina
|18
|[[Kharkiv]]
|-
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Miss USA 2002|United States]]
|[[Shawnae Jebbia]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Foster |first=Mary |date=1998-03-11 |title=Miss Massachusetts wins Miss USA crown |publisher=Lundington Daily News |agency=Associated Press |url=https://news.google.co.nz/newspapers?id=vZEKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-UsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7104,5569287&dq=miss-usa+mary-foster&hl=en}}</ref>
|26
|[[Santa Rosa, California|Santa Rosa]]
|-
|{{flagicon|VIR}} [[Miss US Virgin Islands|United States Virgin Islands]]
|Leah Webster
|24
|[[Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands|Saint Thomas]]
|-
|{{flagicon|URU}} [[Miss Uruguay|Uruguay]]
|Virginia Russo
|24
|[[Montevideo]]
|-
|{{flagicon|VEN}} [[Miss Venezuela|Venezuela]]
|[[Veruska Ramírez]]
|18
|[[Táriba]]
|-
|{{flagicon|SCG}} [[Miss Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]
|Jelena Trninić
|18
|[[Belgrade]]
|-
|{{flagicon|ZIM}} [[Miss Zimbabwe|Zimbabwe]]
|Selina Stuart
|20
|[[Harare]]
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Miss Universe 1998}}
* [https://www.missuniverse.com/ Miss Universe official website]

{{Miss Universe}}
{{Miss Universe 1998 delegates}}

[[Category:Miss Universe by year|1998]]
[[Category:1998 in the United States]]
[[Category:1998 beauty pageants]]
[[Category:Beauty pageants in the United States]]
[[Category:1998 in Hawaii]]
[[Category:1990s in Honolulu]]
[[Category:May 1998 in the United States]]