Trainer shares reason Laura Lehmann chose to compete in Miss World Philippines

She tried and she failed, but Laura Lehmann did not let defeat dampen her spirits.

READ: 8 tidbits about the new Miss World Philippines Laura Lehmann

In an Instagram post Tuesday, pageant trainer Nad Bronce detailed Lehmann's reaction to her loss in Binibining Pilipinas back in 2014 and how she arrived at the decision to compete in Miss World Philippines instead.

"About a year after her [Binibining Pilipinas] stint, she asked me if she should compete again, and where. She expressed preference for [Miss World Philippines] with its BWAP as pull factor," Bronce wrote.

BWAP means "Beauty with a Purpose", the main thrust of the Miss World pageant.

In her winning answer, Lehmann said that she would invite the people who think beauty pageants are not empowering to look at the women of substance up on stage — and true enough, the lineup consisted of women who want to make a difference in their respective fields and winning the crown as one of the means to get there.

Those in-the-know are quick to say that pageants give a platform for women to serve.

 

Laura (pronounced the Spanish way) is one of the very best trainees I ever had. I first met her in 2014, a couple of weeks before the application deadline for Bb. Pilipinas. Yes, it was crunch time but Laura turned out to be a fast learner. I never had any apprehension about her Q and A performance because she proved to be smart and witty. (She had good education, speaks fluent English and Spanish.) When she was asked which city best represents her, I knew she would answer "Amsterdam." Haha. We thought she would end up with a title and although she didn't, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. About a year after her Bb stint, she asked me if she should compete again, and where. She expressed preference for MWP with its BWAP as the pull factor. In all honesty, I was torn because I knew she would do well in both MWP and Bb. Upon deciding that she will join MWP, she immediately asked for training sessions (as if she needed any for Q and A). She attended sessions regularly, arrived on time (she would have good excuses for the few times she was tardy) and participated actively during the exercises. She made me laugh a lot. She is one of the few daughters na mahilig akong asarin. ???????????????? What worried me, though, was that she worried a lot. We told her to relax and to just enjoy the activities. In the end, it turned out that she was just conserving her energies for the big night! And did she wow us! I have full faith in Laura, and I have the confidence that she will make this country (and the world) proud. ?????? #LauraLehmann #LaurafortheWorld #missworldphilippines #MissWorld #acesandqueens

A post shared by Nad Bronce (@sigulanon) on

Sep 5, 2017 at 6:10am PDT

Bronce went on to praise Lehmann, declaring that she "is one of the very best trainees I ever had."

Lehmann is of course beautiful, but Bronce chose to highlight her wit, intellect, and humor.

"I never had any apprehension about her Q and A performance because she proved to be smart and witty. (She had good education, speaks fluent English and Spanish.)," the trainer shared.

He added, "She attended sessions regularly, arrived on time (she would have good excuses for the few times she was tardy) and participated actively during the exercises. She made me laugh a lot."

Celebrating the win, Bronce said that he is confident that Lehmann will do the Philippines and the world proud.

In response, Lehmann left this comment: "Tito Nad, I love you :) Thank you for training us even though Sundays are supposed to be your own rest days. :)"

Bronce trained our past representatives to Miss Universe, Pia Wurtzbach and Maxine Medina. — AT/LA/KVD, GMA News