Miss Guadeloupe, he knows. Miss France, he knew. Miss World, she knows. Miss Universe, on the other hand, she discovered. Guadeloupean Ophély Mézino arrived on November 1 in Thailand where she remained for three weeks, until the final ceremony which took place this Friday, November 21 and which will crown the 74th Miss Universe.
This time, the person who shares his life between Paris and Guadeloupe represents his island, his father’s. At 26 years old, the young woman has a more than impressive track record in beauty pageants: Miss Guadeloupe 2018, first runner-up Miss France 2019 behind Vaimala Chaves and first runner-up Miss World 2019, under the colors of France. Today he faces his “final competition”, the only ladder he has yet to climb.
“You have to know how to enjoy life! »
It is clear to her that as soon as the committee can regain the license to participate in Miss Universe on behalf of Guadeloupe for the 2024 edition, forty years after her last participation. “It just went through my head,” said the model, reached by phone in early November while she was already in Thailand. The discussions were rapid, Ophély Mézino was the perfect candidate for this new participation, facing 120 competitors.
Here she started the adventure: training in New York, exchanges with former participants, preparation of the famous “trousseau”, making national costumes and evening dresses… Very intense weeks for the Guadeloupean, leaving for Thailand like other Misses with “8 to 10 suitcases”.
No fear: «Whatever I have gained will not be questioned. When you have an opportunity like this, you have to take advantage of it. I had fun, I was happy, you have to know how to enjoy life!» said the young woman with an air of confidence.
Landing at 6am, shooting at 9am.
Moreover, many of its competitors do not know its track record. “If someone talked to me about it, I would approach it, but I don’t think I have one foot to go yet,” he immediately fumed, realizing the tenacity required to win the title. There, he spent three weeks at speeds of 100 km/h.
“When I arrived, I landed at 6 am and at 9 am I was already doing a photo shoot with sponsors. I tried everything, shoes, swimsuits… It was very intense,” he emphasized.
The Miss Universe organization planned a very busy stay for them, between dinners, parties and live ceremonies. The 121 participants even had the right to travel to Phuket and Pattaya to get to know Thai culture. “With Eve Gilles, we were on the same bus every morning! (laugh) », confided the model, who tried her best to get to know as many participants as possible, apart from her compatriots Miss France, Miss Martinique and Miss Mayotte.
Broad solidarity between candidates
The fight between Miss Mexico and the organization brought a hundred Misses from all over the world closer to each other: “We all got together afterwards to share the moment and relieve the stress.”
Set in a room with Miss Democratic Republic of the Congo, the content creator also knows that getting along with her roommates is key: “It can change an adventure if you’re not feeling well.” Luckily for him, the tide quickly passed with Dorcas Dienda. Whether with her or the other candidates in the running, “we help each other a lot, as soon as there’s a zipper to pull up a dress, or a small detail.”
“For the opening ceremony, my irons went around the dressing room (laugh) ! » jokes the man who now wears his hair naturally and knows that “a win can be very different from a crown win.” “If I can help young girls feel proud of their hair, that’s already something very important,” she told us.
A cause close to her deaf heart, like the daughter of deaf parents. During the competition, he aspires to publicize deaf culture and promote greater accessibility of sign language in society.
“This is a real role of representation”
Competing against women from the Pacific, Asia or Africa, Ophély Mézino also sees this experience as a moment of visibility for Guadeloupe: “It’s great that a foreign territory has such exposure on an international scale. In France, people know, but since I arrived, I spent my time explaining where it is, what language we speak, what our culture is… It’s a real role to represent this small archipelago. We have a strong culture, we are a land of champions (Marie-José Pérec, Teddy Riner…)so I’m really happy to do it and it’s an honor.”
Do you have to come from a large area to be successful? Not to mention previous winners, from Denmark or Nicaragua. In the neighboring Miss World competition, Martinican Aurélie Joaquim even managed to win the title of Miss World Caribbean by placing 3rd runner-up in the 2025 edition. “We really earned our place,” Ophély Mézino reiterated. Enough to be the one to put Guadeloupe on the world map once and for all.
