Mayra Matos

Mayra Matos Pérez (born August 28, 1988 in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican actress, writer, fashion model and beauty pageant titleholder who held the title of Miss Teen International 2006 and Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2009.^[1]

Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2009[]

Matos represented Cabo Rojo at the Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2009 pageant where she was crowned Miss Puerto Rico Universe by outgoing titleholder Ingrid Rivera with the assistance of Miss USA 2008 Crystle Stewart and Miss Dominican Republic 2008 Marianne Cruz. She also won the award for "Most Beautiful Face."^[2]

Miss Universe[]

Preliminary rounds[]

Matos wore a costume modeled after boxing gear during the national costume competition; the piece included a hooded robe, gloves and a championship belt bearing the Coat of arms of Puerto Rico. The outfit was known to the island's boxing tradition, which has produced more champions per capita than any other location in the world.^{[citation needed]}

Final show[]

Matos represented Puerto Rico at Miss Universe 2009 on August 23, 2009 in Nassau, Bahamas. She was the first of the semifinalists to be called, breaking a two-year non-placement streak for Puerto Rico. She then advanced to the Top 10 and was one of the Top 5 finalists, along with Ada de la Cruz of the Dominican Republic, Rachel Finch of Australia, Stefanía Fernandez of Venezuela, and Marigona Dragusha of Kosovo. She eventually finished as 4th Runner-Up. The eventual winner was Stefanía Fernandez of Venezuela^[3] This was Puerto Rico's most recent Top 5 placement until 2018 when Kiara Ortega also finished in the Top 5.

Controversies[]

After Mayra competed in Miss Universe 2009 there were rumors that the results were backwards, meaning that Matos was the true Miss Universe. In several interviews Matos stated if the rumors were true she would not accept the crown and would let Stefanía Fernández enjoy her title.^[4] This rumor was finally proven to be false by the events at the 2015 pageant, when Ariadna Gutiérrez of Colombia was mistakenly announced as the winner because of host Steve Harvey mistakenly reading the 1st Runner-Up in place of the winner and the real winner, Pia Wurtzbach of the Philippines, was announced shortly thereafter.

Professional life[]

Matos continues to be active in the fashion industry after having launched her "Secret" campaign.^[5]

In 2013 Matos appeared in the comedy film 200 Cartas, a film about a comic book artist who travels to Puerto Rico to find a woman he met at a bar in New York City. Matos appears as Maria Sanchez, the love interest of Lin-Manuel Miranda's character Raul. The film also stars Mexican actor Jaime Camil, Puerto Rican actor and comedian Luis Raúl, and Miss Universe 1993 Dayanara Torres.^[6][7]

Lineage[]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Elisa Nájera	Miss Universe 4th Runner-Up 2009	Succeeded by Venus Raj
Preceded by Ingrid Rivera	Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2009	Succeeded by Mariana Vicente
Preceded by Jeimimar Ramos	Miss Cabo Rojo Universe 2009	Succeeded by Carolina Rodríguez
Preceded by Lauryn Eagle	Miss Teen International 2006	Succeeded by Jenny Quiroga

References[]