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Miss Universe 2006
Miss Puerto Rico wins Miss Universe Crown 2006
Judges announced Miss Puerto Rico, Zuleika Rivera, as the pageant winner.
Rivera, 18, burst into tears and then fainted during a news conference after being crowned. She was rushed off stage. Contest officials said shortly afterwards she had passed out.
The 55th Miss Universe contest was held at the fabled Shrine Auditorium near downtown Los Angeles. It was the fifth time the crown has gone to a woman from Puerto Rico, a US island territory in the Caribbean.
The event, run by real-estate mogul Donald Trump's organisation, now attracts most interest in Latin America and Asia although it is broadcast to an estimated 600 million people in 170 countries.
Rivera answered her final question, in Spanish, about how she viewed success: "That special satisfaction when a person gives what they can without worrying about the obstacles in the way."
Rivera is 175 centimetres tall, and was chosen from among the final five candidates, which included Switzerland, Japan, Paraguay and the United States, to wear the $US250,000 ($333,000) crown. Canadian Natalie Glebova, Miss Universe 2005, was on hand to place the crown on Rivera's head.
Judges announced Miss Puerto Rico, Zuleika Rivera, as the pageant winner.
Rivera, 18, burst into tears and then fainted during a news conference after being crowned. She was rushed off stage. Contest officials said shortly afterwards she had passed out.
The 55th Miss Universe contest was held at the fabled Shrine Auditorium near downtown Los Angeles. It was the fifth time the crown has gone to a woman from Puerto Rico, a US island territory in the Caribbean.
The event, run by real-estate mogul Donald Trump's organisation, now attracts most interest in Latin America and Asia although it is broadcast to an estimated 600 million people in 170 countries.
Rivera answered her final question, in Spanish, about how she viewed success: "That special satisfaction when a person gives what they can without worrying about the obstacles in the way."
Rivera is 175 centimetres tall, and was chosen from among the final five candidates, which included Switzerland, Japan, Paraguay and the United States, to wear the $US250,000 ($333,000) crown. Canadian Natalie Glebova, Miss Universe 2005, was on hand to place the crown on Rivera's head.
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