Sabah-born Yu wins Mr National Universe title
Published on: Thursday, June 29, 2023
Yu celebrates his victory.
BANGKOK: Sabah-born Dr Benedict Yu made the country proud by clinching the Mister National Universe 2023 title at the finals at Amari Watergate, here, on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old doctor from Kota Kinabalu also claimed the “Mister Popular” and “Mister Flawless Skin” titles, two of seven special awards presented at the event.
ADVERTISEMENT
“All for Malaysia, we did it! I am so happy…thank you, I could not have done it without you guys,” he said in a clip posted on Bachelor of Malaysia’s (BOM) Instagram.
BOM national director Geo Allen George said Yu is the latest among the BOM’s Sabahan alumni who have exhibited commendable performance in this field.
“Just before him, another Kota Kinabalu lad Jonathan Liaw was placed Top 10 at ‘Man of the World 2023’ in the Philippines, while Papar-born entrepreneur Roger Hugo Amandus was among the Top 16 of ‘Mister International 2022’, also in the Philippines.
“We also have our grand ‘Hall of Famer’, Danial Hansen – the Sabahan who won ‘Mister Tourism World’ in Malta in 2019.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We are very proud and inspired by the feat of every member of our alumni. Only that this season, our Sabahan boys have been exhibiting satisfactory results back to back.
“As a Sabahan myself, this is something to be proud of,” said Geo.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Bangkok event, which marked the pageant’s fifth edition, featured 24 Mister National Universe delegates from around the world.
Placing respective first to fourth runners-up were Marcus Charlie Bishop of England, Kritti Nampradit of Thailand, Michael Ver Comaling of the Philippines and Tishkin Vladislav of Latvia.
Adding on, Geo pointed out another aspect of what made Yu’s victory even more significant.
“He (Yu) is the shortest of all contestants whom BOM has sent for international competitions, but I am saying this in a very positive light.
“This proves that physical attributes, while can be advantageous, are no longer a challenge.
“Of course, possessing a good head on one’s shoulders, having good personality and practising good grooming are still points that the judges are looking for,” added Geo.
For the record, Yu stands 171cm tall.
In comparison, the heights of Liaw, Danial and Hugo are 178cm, 180cm and 182cm, respectively.
Geo added that it was also BOM’s vision and mission to guide its alumni become good role models for other young men in Malaysia.
“I must admit that Yu’s achievement in Bangkok has definitely bolstered BOM’s credentials, but the man himself runs three clinics and also his own supplements company.
“Danial is a successful model in Kuala Lumpur. Liaw has a good career in the line of medical business, and as stated before, Hugo is an entrepreneur and a part-time model.
“There are many sportsmen, academicians, industry players and other professionals among our alumni.
“One thing that we, the committee of BOM, take pride in is that our boys understand our core objective – to help and inspire other young men to believe in themselves, work hard to achieve their goals and make a difference in their communities,” he said.
BOM started off as Mister Borneo Malaysia Organisation in 2015, with the objective of identifying and introducing male model talents from Borneo.
In mid-2016, it was rebranded to BOM and in 2017, it staged its first competition in Sibu, Sarawak, in conjunction with Visit Sibu Year Festival.
BOM has since established itself as a major male pageant management organisation in Malaysia and over the years, it has produced several talents who have excelled in and outside of the pageant world.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
