Ammetta Kaur Malhotra, 46, cemented her status as the first Malaysian ever to win the second runner-up title in Mrs Classic Universe pageant held in Sofia, Bulgaria on January 21, 2019.
The mother of three has been receiving plaudits from all quarters for her achievement and to mark her historic win and birthday, Ammetta hosted a double celebration party at Roost Restaurant in Bangsar Park, Kuala Lumpur on February 22, 2019.
“I feel wonderful. I’m celebrating a momentous moment in my life with the people who were instrumental and supportive of my journey,” she told Citizen Journalists Malaysia (CJMY).
Her husband Brendan James Bergin, their children and friends were present to celebrate this special occasion.
A rehabilitation specialist and owner of personal training studio Target Fitness PJ, Ammetta won the Mrs. Malaysia Globe Classic 2018, and after winning the Mrs Malaysia Classic Universe 2019, she represented the country at the Mrs Classic Universe 2019 in the Balkan nation. She is also Mrs Malaysia Planet 2019 Fitness Ambassador.
“First and foremost, I would like to thank God Almighty. Without his grace, we can achieve nothing. My husband, kids, siblings, parents and actually everyone who said I couldn’t do it because sometimes their words spur you on to do even better.
“Actually most people discouraged me from joining my first pageant because of the belief that the system might not be fair. So it was really a solo effort. But my journey after that is a family effort. Everyone has had to sacrifice their time and effort so that I could complete my journey,” she said.
The fitness queen also did very well at World Fitness Federation (WFF) competitions in Australia and Singapore, by winning several sports and fitness awards.
While it was challenging to compete against 34 contestants from across the globe vying for the Mrs Classic Universe crown, Ammetta was well prepared for the big day. She trained for months. She was ready, equipped and prepared for anything. She is thankful because all the hard work and sacrifices were worth it in the end.
“I definitely prepared very hard for this competition. I took the feedback given to me by the judges from my previous competition, Mrs. Globe Classic where I won the fitness award but not a top five placing. Also, the feedback provided by my mentors in Malaysia like Maggie Loo (modelling), Ho Kok Loong (designer) and Frank Hew (interview) who advised me on how to walk, dress and talk which allowed me to work on areas of weakness and improve them, and I would like to thank all of them,” she said.
Ammetta said her participation in the Mrs Classic Universe pageant was worth experiencing. She learned and experienced different things. The experience was invaluable.
“The entire pageant was amazing. Everyone with so much different looks, cultures and languages. Everyone standing there on stage with you is a winner. They have all competed on home turf and come out at the top. So they also have experience and confidence. The standard is so high, and it’s very hard to judge the outcome.
“There were many memorable moments but the most memorable one was being able to do the talent portion of the competition with my husband who flew down all the way with me to support me in this journey. My talent was an interpretive dance routine on the challenges of love. I have very supportive parents who have always been there all the way as not all the girls who joined pageants are actually supported by their parents,” said Ammetta.
Her last words for those wannabe beauty queens: “Always believe in yourself. It’s never too late to take that step to achieve your dream and to turn it into reality, and never ever forget the people who were with you from the beginning because they will be the ones with you at the end.”
Yinzi Event & Marketing director Madam Lim Siew Cheng, the organiser for Mrs Malaysia Universe and Mrs Malaysia Globe, congratulated Ammetta for her success.
“Ammetta worked really hard to win this position. I’m very happy and proud of her. She made Malaysia proud with her historic win. I hope that her achievement could be an encouragement for others like her.”