Miss South Africa, Rolene Strauss, was crowned as the winner of the 2014 Miss World pageant on Sunday.

The 22-year-old was selected during the competition's grand finale at the Excel London ICC Auditorium. She won while wearing a pale pink, ruffled off-the-shoulder evening gown. She smiled and waved at the cheering crowd and the large blue and gold-jeweled crown.

Strauss is a fourth-year medical student, the daughter of a doctor and a nurse and the first South African representative in 40 years to hold the Miss World title, E! News reports. In 1974, Miss United Kingdom Helen Elizabeth Morgan won the pageant but was forced to give up her crown shortly after when it was discovered that she had a child, which was against competition rules. Anneline Kriel, Miss South Africa at the time, took her place.

The South African beauty queen was among 122 contestants competing for the coveted title. Among her runners-up was Hungary's Edina Kulcsar, who also was a finalist in the 2009 Miss Plastic Hungary beauty pageant. This competition featured contestants who had undergone plastic surgery to highlight the benefits of these kinds of procedures.

Third place was given to Elizabeth Safrit from the United States. Safrit represented North Carolina in the most recent Miss United States pageant.

The finale ceremony included the women wearing colorful costumes that represented their countries and territories. There was also a group performance of Josh Groban's powerful hit ballad "You Raise Me Up."

After Straus was crowned, several contestants remained on stage, dancing to LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem." Part of the duo, Sky Blu, performed the hit song solo while decked out in a fairytale prince costume.

"Miss World 2014. Put your hands up, y'all!" he shouted. "Put those hands up! Oh yeah! We love girls all around the world. All around the world, we love girls. I love y'all."

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