Pauline Amelinckx admits feeling disappointed in herself after not winning MUPh crown on her third attempt
Pauline Amelinckx admitted that she felt "disappointed" in herself after not winning the Miss Universe Philippines crown on her third attempt.
The Bohol bet, who won third runner-up at the MUPh 2020 and Miss Universe Philippines Charity in 2022, talked about her what-ifs as she reflected on her performance at the recently concluded MUPh pageant.
“I was a little bit disappointed in myself, too, if I can be perfectly honest,” she said in an interview with entertainment portal PEP.ph.
“Of course, there are some areas, after self-reflecting, where I think to myself I could have done better and perhaps it could have changed some of the results. But at the end of the day, that's still 'what if.'"
“I don't want to ponder too much. Let's not ponder too much on the past because we can't change that anymore,” she continued.
The beauty queen recalled how her emotions got the best of her during the question-and-answer portion of the competition.
“If I can be perfectly honest, going in on the coronation night, I really felt calm and collected,” she said, "but when Bohol was called into the Top 5 again, I felt my heart racing because I realized, 'Good goodness!'”
“I said to myself, ‘Oh, goodness.’ For the third time, I was able to bring Bohol back into the Top 5. So my heart was racing and my emotions, I think, got the best of me there,” she said.
Pauline recalled that she wasn’t able to keep a clear mind at the time and noted that it's something she has to work on, especially since she is set to compete on the international stage with an aim to bring home the Miss Supranational crown for the Philippines.
“I wasn’t able to have a clear mind at that moment, when it came to the Q&A, for me to be able to stay calm and collected even while answering,” she said.
“I have to work on it to be able to keep my emotions in check, especially when it matters the most, like onstage that night,” she added.
After all, the Filipina beauty said that Makati bet Michelle Dee, who ended up clinching the highly coveted MUPh 2023 crown, "is very deserving."
"I'm sure she'll make our country proud,” she said.
Pauline was named the country's bet to the upcoming Miss Supranational pageant in a separate awarding ceremony that took place after the MUPh 2023 coronation night on Saturday, May 13. Christine Opiaza (Zambales) was named first runner-up, followed by Angelique Manto (Pampanga) who won second runner-up. Krishnah Gravidez (Baguio), meanwhile, was crowned Miss Charm Philippines.