Francisca Luhong James

Francisca Luhong James
Francisca Luhong James
Born	Francisca Luhong James; 14 October 1995 (age 26); Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Alma mater	Universiti Teknologi MARA
Occupation	Public relation; model; beauty pageant titleholder;
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
	Beauty pageant titleholder
Title	Miss Universe Malaysia 2020
Years active	2015–present
Hair colour	Brown
Eye colour	Dark Brown
Major; competition(s)	Miss World Malaysia 2016; (2nd Runner-up); Miss World Malaysia 2018; (Top 5); Miss Universe Malaysia 2020; (Winner); Miss Universe 2020; (Unplaced)

Francisca Luhong James (born 14 October 1995)^[2] is a Malaysian model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe Malaysia 2020.^[3] She represents her country at Miss Universe 2020 at Florida, United States.^[4]

Early life and career

James was born in Kuching, Sarawak, is a mixed of Kayan, Kenyah, and Iban with her native roots of Dayak. She is the eldest of 3 siblings and the only daughter of James Mering Bungan and Pauline Japok.^[5] She also holds a Degree in Mass Communication majoring in Public Relations.^[6]

Pageantry

Miss Cultural Harvest Festival 2015

At 19, James participated in Miss Cultural Harvest Festival 2015, an ethnic beauty pageant held annually during the Sarawak Harvest and Folklore Festival. She was placed as the second runner-up of the competition.^[7]

Miss World Malaysia

Miss World Malaysia 2016

In 2016, James was one of the finalists in the Miss World Malaysia 2016 pageant. She also won 3 of the 12 subsidiaries awards which were Miss Talent, Miss Natural Beauty, and Miss Elegant. At the end of the pageant, she ended up in the Top 5 finalist.^[8]

Miss World Malaysia 2018

Two years later, James tried her luck for the second time in Miss World Malaysia pageant.. She won 2 of 6 subsidiaries awards which were the People's Choice Award and Top Model Award.^[9] During Miss World Malaysia 2018, she was one of the Top 5 finalists. The eventual winner, Larissa Ping Liew and the 2nd runner-up, Naomi Sim were fellow Sarawakians.^[10]

Miss Universe Malaysia 2020

In 2020, James participated in the Miss Universe Malaysia 2020 pageant and eventually won the pageant.^[11] She was the only finalist from Sarawak. As the winner, she earned the rights to represent Malaysia in Miss Universe 2020 pageant. The final competition of the 56th Miss Universe Malaysia was held on 5 September 2020 at Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.^[12]

James was the eight Miss Universe Malaysia from Sarawak and also the first Dayak woman to win the prestigious title.^[13]

Miss Universe 2020

James represented Malaysia at Miss Universe 2020 competition which was held in Hollywood, Florida, United States on 16 May 2021.^[14] Although she was considered to be the drought-breaker for Malaysia in Miss Universe 2020, she ended up did not make it into the Top 21 semi-finalist. Her journey was marked in the history of the Miss Universe Malaysia pageant as the 50 years of unplacement for Malaysia in Miss Universe pageant.^[15]

External links

Francisca Luhong James on Instagram

References

^ "[FOTO] Bukan Satu, Dua Tapi LAPAN Persalinan Miss Malaysia Dalam Satu Hari" (in Malay). Remaja. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
^ "Francisca berhasrat gayakan busana etnik Dayak" (in Malay). Utusan Sarawak. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
^ "Francisca Luhong to represent Malaysia at Miss Universe 2020 - BeautyPageants". Femina Miss India. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
^ "Francisca Luhong's crowning dream". BorneoTalk. 2020-08-15. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
^ "PressReader.com - Your favorite newspapers and magazines". www.pressreader.com. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
^ "Titleholders". Miss Universe Malaysia Organization. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
^ Tan, Georgette (2015-05-04). "Jean Seymour is Miss Cultural Harvest Festival". The Borneo Post. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
^ "Francisca Luhong has inspired many young women with her drive and perseverance". The Sun Daily. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
^ "Larrisa Ping crowned Miss World Malaysia 2018". Borneo Post Online. 2018-09-09. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
^ "Up close and personal with local beauties". Borneo Post Online. 2018-09-01. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
^ "Sarawakian lass crowned Miss Malaysia Universe 2020 | Daily Express Online - Sabah's Leading News Portal". www.dailyexpress.com.my. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
^ Landau, Esther (2020-07-13). "Miss Universe show to be live-streamed | New Straits Times". NST Online. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
^ "Francisca Luhong, jelitawan Sarawak dinobat Miss Universe Malaysia 2020". www.astroawani.com (in Malay). Retrieved 2020-09-05.
^ "Perjalanan Francisca Luhong ke Miss Universe Berakhir" [Francisca Luhong's Journey to Miss Universe Ends] (in Malay). Utusan Borneo at PressReader. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
^ "Malaysia's Francisca Luhong ends Miss Universe journey". The Borneo Post. Retrieved May 17, 2021.

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Mellinda Lee	Miss World Malaysia (2nd Runner-Up) 2016	Succeeded by Naomi Sim
Preceded by Shweta Sekhon	Miss Universe Malaysia 2020	Succeeded by TBA

[1] "[FOTO] Bukan Satu, Dua Tapi LAPAN Persalinan Miss Malaysia Dalam Satu Hari" (in Malay). Remaja. Retrieved November 9, 2020.

[2] "Francisca berhasrat gayakan busana etnik Dayak" (in Malay). Utusan Sarawak. Retrieved November 9, 2020.

[3] "Francisca Luhong to represent Malaysia at Miss Universe 2020 - BeautyPageants". Femina Miss India. Retrieved 2020-09-09.

[4] "Francisca Luhong's crowning dream". BorneoTalk. 2020-08-15. Retrieved 2020-08-22.

[5] "PressReader.com - Your favorite newspapers and magazines". www.pressreader.com. Retrieved 2020-08-22.

[6] "Titleholders". Miss Universe Malaysia Organization. Retrieved 2020-11-23.

[CHF2015-7] Tan, Georgette (2015-05-04). "Jean Seymour is Miss Cultural Harvest Festival". The Borneo Post. Retrieved 2020-09-07.

[8] "Francisca Luhong has inspired many young women with her drive and perseverance". The Sun Daily. Retrieved November 9, 2020.

[9] "Larrisa Ping crowned Miss World Malaysia 2018". Borneo Post Online. 2018-09-09. Retrieved 2020-08-23.

[10] "Up close and personal with local beauties". Borneo Post Online. 2018-09-01. Retrieved 2020-08-22.

[11] "Sarawakian lass crowned Miss Malaysia Universe 2020 | Daily Express Online - Sabah's Leading News Portal". www.dailyexpress.com.my. Retrieved 2020-09-07.

[12] Landau, Esther (2020-07-13). "Miss Universe show to be live-streamed | New Straits Times". NST Online. Retrieved 2020-08-23.

[13] "Francisca Luhong, jelitawan Sarawak dinobat Miss Universe Malaysia 2020". www.astroawani.com (in Malay). Retrieved 2020-09-05.

[Unplaced_(3)-14] "Perjalanan Francisca Luhong ke Miss Universe Berakhir" [Francisca Luhong's Journey to Miss Universe Ends] (in Malay). Utusan Borneo at PressReader. Retrieved May 18, 2021.

[Unplaced_(1)-15] "Malaysia's Francisca Luhong ends Miss Universe journey". The Borneo Post. Retrieved May 17, 2021.

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Francisca Luhong James
Born	Francisca Luhong James (1995-10-14) 14 October 1995 (age 26) Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Alma mater	Universiti Teknologi MARA
Occupation	Public relation model beauty pageant titleholder
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)^[1]
Beauty pageant titleholder
Title	Miss Universe Malaysia 2020
Years active	2015–present
Hair colour	Brown
Eye colour	Dark Brown
Major competition(s)	Miss World Malaysia 2016 (2nd Runner-up) Miss World Malaysia 2018 (Top 5) Miss Universe Malaysia 2020 (Winner) Miss Universe 2020 (Unplaced)