Miss Earth crown eludes Gaopalelwe

Miss Earth Botswana 2009, Tumisang Sebina, who is also the chaperone to the incumbent queen, Onalenna Gaopalelwe, has described her as a success story despite failure to reach the December 4 Miss Earth finals in Vietnam.

Gaopalelwe failed to make it into the top 14 finalists, but excelled in a few preliminary competitions. She clinched first place in the pool party that was used to determine the girls' interaction capabilities. She was runner-up in a golf competition and got sixth position in a talent contest. Her other accomplishment was featuring in the top 40 finalists in the Ao Dai, a traditional Vietnamese dress competition that attracted 83 participants.