At the Miss World pageant in London 2 years ago, the first place award went to Miss South Africa, Rolene Strauss. Strauss, a medical student, was only 22 years old, and was crowned by the 2013 Miss World, Megan Young of the Philippines. As reported, Strauss is following in her parents footsteps: at only 22 years old, she's already a fourth-year medical student (no idea how she had time to do a global pageant; I guess some people are just really great at multitasking). Strauss is the daughter of a doctor and a nurse. She's the third winner to ever be crowned from South Africa. The second and third runners-up were Edina Kulcsár from Hungary and Elizabeth Safrit from the good old U.S. of A. Strauss wore an extremely feminine gown that Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink would have coveted: In pastel pink with an off-the-shoulder, sweetheart neckline and hella ruffles on her skirt, Strauss definitely looked the part of a Miss World. Maybe the weirdest part of the whole ceremony was a performance by Sky Blu from LMFAO who played "Party Rock Anthem," a song we'd all forgotten about. Congratulations, Rolene Strauss! 1. Medicine Is Her Life Strauss, the daughter of a doctor and nurse, was a fourth-year medical student who had put her studies on hold. She had said becoming Miss South Africa and later Miss World and studying medicine were her childhood dreams. Strauss said, “Many people change their visions of what they want to become as they grow older. Mine never changed: I’ve always known that I would study medicine, just like my father. I was known as ‘Little Dr Strauss’ in town, as I followed my dad everywhere he went,” while she was growing up. Currently Strauss attends the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, though Strauss is originally from Volksrust, Mpumalanga. 2. She’s Dreamed of Being a Pageant Winner Since She Was 8 Years Old It was reported that Strauss has dreamed of being a beauty pageant winner since she was a child. At an early age of 8, Rolene Strauss witnessed the crowning of Miss SA in the year 2000, when Jo-Ann Strauss won the title. The two are not related to each other – they coincidentally share the same surname. She dreamed of winning the title one day, and scooped the title herself in March 2014. As far as her being Miss South Africa, Strauss told Oprah Magazine: Miss South Africa is all about giving, and that’s why I entered the competition. South Africa is my pride. I am who I am because of our country and the opportunities she has given me. It is now time to start giving back. The pageant is the ideal platform for giving back and making a difference. 3. Strauss Was Criticized For Weight Gain Before the Miss World Competition Reportedly Strauss was criticized for her weight prior to the Miss World competition. In early-August 2014, Rolene received heavy criticism for her weight gain. This subsequently led to Sun International issuing a press statement that Rolene would only begin her fitness regimen for the international pageants in mid-August. Rolene has teamed up with supplement-giant USN, as well as Virgin Active for her strenuous 12-week body transformation, which is scheduled to end just in time for Miss World 2014. Source