Beauty contestant strikes gold abroad

When Christine Mifsud, 18, decided to take part in the Miss Summer International beauty pageant in Bulgaria, all she was really after was having a good time.

She could not believe it when she heard Malta mentioned, as the pageant's host announced the winner on Thursday.

"As soon as I heard Malta, I was extremely surprised. I never thought I would win," she said, minutes after landing in Malta following her Bulgarian experience.

As she strutted through the Arrivals gate, wearing her trophy gold sash, a crowd of relatives and friends greeted her with a loud applause.

The tall brunette reacted with a beaming smile as she wheeled her luggage into the familiar crowd and hugged her supporters one by one.

Ms Mifsud, who works as a salesgirl, explained she had been taking part in beauty contests for the past five years.

Last year she was the winner of Malta's Miss Model of the World and this year she won Miss Summer of Malta, which paved the way for her trip to Bulgaria.

There she joined 14 other beauties from all over the world at the Bulgarian Black Sea resort of Sozopol.

"It was a great. The competition was tough as we were 15 girls from other countries. The other girls were great. Of course, there were those whom I did not get on with. But, I guess that's only normal," she said.

"We had fun together," she added.

The young model is determined to keep working on her career and, aware that it is not easy to make a break in Malta, she will seize the opportunity to travel.