Thomas Tan
Tears of joy flowed down on Aini Sophi Binti Shamsol Zailan’s cheeks as she was crowned Miss Malaysia Kebaya 2018 at the coronation night held at Auditorium DBKL in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 14, 2018.
The 18-year-old student from Alai, Malacca bested nine other contestants to win the pageant. She also won three subsidiary titles – Miss Best Talent, Miss Popularity and Miss Photogenic.
“It was a dream come true. I felt really proud of myself to actually hold the title of Miss Malaysia Kebaya 2018 because I was the only contestant from Malacca state.
“I cried tears of joy during the crowning stage because all my sacrifices made for my dreams have turned into satisfaction,” Aini told Citizen Journalists Malaysia (CJMY) after her crowning.
She was crowned by Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture Malaysia secretary general Rashidi bin Hasbullah.
It was her third pageant title after winning the Ratu Kebaya competition organised by a shopping mall in 2017 and Miss Melaka Kebaya 2018.
Aini continued: “It was challenging for me because I was facing contestants from other states of Selangor/Kuala Lumpur, Sarawak and Johor, and they were all good enough to win, seriously.
“I worked really hard having to sacrifice myself to travel from Malacca to KL to learn from the seniors and to gain more knowledge and experience, and I believe that helped me to improve and reach my goal.”
“My mom has always been kind of my backbone standing in such a big arena since the day I entered in any competition. She keeps me strong, encourages me in all of my pursuits and inspires me to follow my dreams. Without my mom and my family, the journey would not have been possible and I would not have achieved that level. I would never even think of it at all.”
Aini who completed SPM last year and will be continuing her studies at university next year is also a well-rounded dancer able to adapt to all sorts of dance styles, being in Malay traditional, contemporary, hip hop, Bollywood, Chinese, Portuguese, Chetty and many more.
She started dancing at a very young age, having participated in various local and overseas dance festivals and won numerous prizes, including champion of Miss Festival 2018 held in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria.
Her dancing talents has without a doubt assisted her in winning the Miss Malaysia Kebaya Best Talent subsidiary title.
“I sat for my SPM in 2017 and got a place at university (IPTA) this year but I declined it due to my commitment to represent Malaysia to Bulgaria and Turkey for the Folk Dance Festival 2018 under Tourism Malaysia. The intensive training had put me on three months of full-day training.
“I and two others represented Malaysia to compete in Miss Festival competition at the International Folklore Festival 2018 held in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. My competitors were from China, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Mexico, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Russia and Croatia. And proudly… I was declared the winner!
Aini has been dancing since childhood and is making all the world her stage.
“I started dancing since primary school with my twin sister Aina Sophia. Our first dance competition was in 2014 for Children Got Talent. And we won it. There were a lot more competitions that followed after we won that competition. I represented Malaysia for the first time to South Korea in 2016 in a dance competition,” Aini said.
Sitinur Sabrina Mohammad, 19, a student from Selangor/KL and Deevakanni Bhalan, 22, also a student from Johor won the second and third place respectively.
Meanwhile, the Mrs Malaysia Kebaya 2018 title was won by Nur Hazwani Bt Che Rahim, 30, a medical doctor and freelance hijab model from Kuala Lumpur.
Miss & Mrs Malaysia Kebaya 2018 Winners:
Miss Category:
Winner: Aini Sophi Bt Shamsol Zailan, 18, student
1st Runner-Up: Sitinur Sabrina Mohammad, 19, student
2nd Runner-Up: Deevakanni Bhalan, 22, student
Mrs Category:
Winner: Nur Hazwani Bt Che Rahim, 30, medical doctor & freelance hijab model
1st Runner-Up: Elfira Bt Ibrahim, 31, assistant QS & freelance model
2nd Runner-Up: Arilla Sri Masayu Bt Abd Rahim, 32, research scientist
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