Following the journey of Tharina Botes, lovingly called Khanom by her global fans, is like witnessing a lesson in unwavering perseverance. Born in South Africa to a Thai mother and a South African father, this commerce and economics graduate from the University of South Africa has spent more than a decade subtly remodeling the very idea of what it means to wear a crown in modern pageantry.
Beginning at just 13 in Roodepoort and rising to the heights of international stages, Botes’ path has been anything but straightforward. She wore South Africa’s sash at Miss International 2016, placed in the Top 12 at Miss South Africa 2018, and ultimately captured the Miss World Thailand 2023 crown. Relocating to Thailand, she didn’t just reconnect with her roots—she made the country her own. Her bicultural upbringing has instilled within her a deep appreciation for diversity, resilience, compassion, and open-heartedness.
A Crown Years in the Making
What started as a teenage adventure gradually became the core of her life. Despite tireless preparation, international results sometimes fell short of her hopes. She faced the mixed sting known to anyone who dares to dream in public: coming close, leaving empty-handed, and contending with the choice to rise and try once more.
In May 2026, Botes walked onto the stage at the first-ever MGI All Stars competition, earning a spot in the Top 10. Only months later, she dove back into the Miss Universe Thailand circuit. Her route to the national crown was anything but simple. After vying for the Miss Universe Ubon Ratchathani title, she went on to win Miss Universe Bangkok, creating the opportunity for yet another shot at the coveted crown.
From Johannesburg to Bangkok, from near-misses to national triumph, Botes has woven her story from strands of resilience, reinvention, and the conviction that every rejection is simply a new direction. There is a poetic justice in Botes finally claiming the Miss Universe Thailand crown after more than a decade of pursuit.
For most contestants, a national crown signals the start of a dream. For Botes, it feels like the grand finale of all that came before: the first competitions, the losses abroad, the near-wins, the reinventions, and the long years spent transforming drive into purpose.
On August 23, 2026, the Bangkok representative finally heard her name called as Miss Universe Thailand 2026, securing her place to represent the Land of Smiles at the 75th Miss Universe in Puerto Rico. For a woman whose identity has always bridged two worlds, the moment carried extra weight. It crowned her as a lasting symbol of style with a purpose.
What really distinguishes Botes is not just her poise on the runway, but her outstanding ability to turn setbacks into building blocks. In her crowning moment at Miss Universe Thailand, she honored her idol, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, voicing a philosophy that has formed her own journey:
She really taught me that when you work hard, have determination, and believe in yourself, you can achieve everything you set your mind to.”
Beauty With a Business Mind
Outside the pageant spotlight, Botes roots her life in purpose. As the driving force behind Volare and The Ultimate Girl Guide, and as an ambassador for Scholars of Sustenance (SOS) Thailand, she skillfully blends business acumen with a passion for social impact.
This mix of business savvy, entrepreneurship, advocacy, and pageantry reveals the many layers of Botes’ public persona. The crown may shine brightest, but it is only one episode in her story.
She is a woman who has spent years building her own legacy.
The Answer That Changed the Conversation
Arguably, the most telling moment of her Miss Universe Thailand 2026 win did not arrive with the evening gown or the final look, but in the question-and-answer round.
Asked which Miss Universe inspired her most, Botes immediately named the Philippines’ Catriona Gray.
To Botes, Gray embodies the full spectrum: beauty, eloquence, confidence, stage presence, passion, and resilience. She especially admired Gray’s iconic “lava walk” at Miss Universe in Thailand as well as the unwavering clarity of her statements.
Yet Botes’ admiration reached far beyond the facade of performance.
She pointed out Gray’s journey from missing out at Miss World to ultimately seizing the Miss Universe crown, capturing it with a phrase that now defines her own path: “rejection is just redirection. It was a surprisingly intimate answer from someone poised at the edge of her own long-awaited triumph.
And then arrived the charming final detail: Botes revealed that Gray had recently followed her on Instagram.
“I am so happy,” she said, expressing her affection for Gray and the Philippines. For Filipino pageant fans, that moment instantly turned into a defining highlight of her victory.
From Rejection to Redirection
Botes’ story captivates because it has never followed a straight path. No single competition turned her into a star overnight. Instead, her rise was built over years: learning to compete, facing defeat, returning stronger, evolving, building a career, serving others, and growing ever more at ease with her true self.
At 29, Botes is no longer the teenage girl who first entered pageantry with her mother’s encouragement. She is an entrepreneur, advocate, and an experienced international contestant. Her latest crown does not erase the earlier losses. It gives them meaning.
The Next Chapter
Now, the direction is clear. Botes will represent Thailand at Miss Universe 2026 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she will enter the world’s biggest pageant stage carrying not only a national sash but an unusually rich history of competition.
She arrives with something that cannot be manufactured overnight: experience. She knows what it feels like to win. She knows what it feels like to lose. She knows what it feels like to be a runner-up and to return years later. And she knows that a career in pageantry is rarely defined by one night.
Perhaps that is why her Miss Universe Thailand victory feels not quite like a surprise and more like a destination. Botes has spent years walking toward this moment. And now, with Thailand behind her and Puerto Rico ahead, the woman known as Khanom has one more stage on which to prove the lesson she has carried throughout her odyssey.
Sometimes the crown arrives only after you have learned how to live without it.
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