Who is Asya Branch, the USA Miss Universe representative?

Little by little, thanks in a massive part to the incredible work done by those responsible for developing vaccines and rolling out a vaccination programme, life as we knew it before the covid-19 pandemic is starting to return to some sort of normalcy. And that does not just apply to the more serious things in life, it also includes the contest that somehow still remains with us in 2021, the Miss Universe pageant.

Miss Universe: who will represent the United States?

For this edition, Asya Branch, from Mississippi, will be representing the United States as the country goes in search of its ninth crown.

Asya is the first African-American woman from Mississippi to be named Miss USA in the history of the pageant. During her modelling career, now 23-year-old Asya emerged as the winner of the 'Most Beautiful' contest of the Ole Miss pageant at the University of Mississippi in 2018.

Miss Universe: how many times has USA won?

The United States is the country with the most pageant crowns, a total of eight contests being won.

The first edition won by the USA was in 1954 thanks to Miriam Jacqueline Stevenson, while the most recent was in 2012 with Olivia Frances Culpo.

All the US winners of Miss Universe:

Miss Universe: when is the contest?

After being cancelled last year due to the coronavirus outbreak, on Sunday 16 May we will be given the chance to view the 69th edition of the competition.

The ceremony will take place at 8:00 pm ET at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Florida, USA, and will be hosted by actor Mario Lopez and model Olivia Culpo, the latter who won the pageant in 2012.