Goizeder Azúa

Goizeder Victoria Azúa Barríos, (born San Felipe, Yaracuy state, Venezuela, February 23, 1984) is a Venezuelan TV show host, model, journalist, Miss International titleholder for the year 2003. [citeweb|title=Pageant Almanac|url=http://www.pageant-almanac.com/miss-international/former-titleholders.php Retrieved on 11 Apr 2008.] She began her beauty pageant career by winning the Miss Carabobo 2002 title, beating out big favorite Vanessa Fanesi, and then by winning the Miss World Venezuela 2002 crown in the Gala de la Belleza beauty pageant. Azúa was a major surprise winner both times but she has gone on to a highly distinguished career in pageantry and fashion.

Her win marks the fourth victory of Venezuela in Miss International, the most of any country, only to be matched in 2005 by the Philippines.

Goizeder also won the Miss Photogenic title. In 2002, she also represented Venezuela in the Miss World pageant, where she was a semi-finalist in the controversy-ridden edition (during which Osmel Sousa refused to pull her participation when several nations were protesting against the original host country Nigeria). She has also won the Miss Mesoamérica title, making her one of the most successful representatives of Venezuela in the last five years. Although she was once considered Venezuela's top fashion model, she is famed not for her facial beauty but more for her personality and spectacular catwalk. She is working in television (Globovision) and a radio in Venezuela. Azúa is of Basque ancestry, which accounts for her highly unusual first and family names.

References

Big Four Pageants titleholders
Year=2003
Miss Universe=Amelia Vega
Miss World=Rosanna Davison
Miss Earth=Dania Prince
Miss International=Goizeder Azúa

External links

* [http://www.missvenezuela.com Web Site Oficial del Miss Venezuela]
* [http://bellasvenezolanas.org/?p=983 Goizeder Azua @ Bellas Venezolanas]