Olympian Raegan Rutty wins crown of Miss Universe Cayman Islands

Cayman Islands: Gymnastics sensation Raegan Rutty has made a successful jump from the Olympic area to the pageant stage, winning the crown of Miss Universe Cayman Islands. She will now represent her country at the prestigious Miss Universe pageant in Mexico later this year.

The first and second runner-up titles went to Arin Broderick and Brianna Wilson, respectively. A total of six contestants participated in a number of segments during Saturday night’s finale, including swimwear, evening gowns and a Q&A session.

Rutty is an Olympian and she represented Cayman at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the 2021 Pan American Games, the 2019 World Championships, and the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Raegan Rutty was crowned Miss Universe Cayman Islands in the Westin ballroom which was crowded with hundreds of people.

She impressed the judges and the audiences alike with her impressive answer to the question of the night was, “what is your opinion on the importance of education in combating poverty and inequality?”

Raegan’s answer to this simple yet bold question was, “I believe that education is the corner stone of every society and by allowing everyone an equal chance to education opens up job opportunities and allows them to further their careers.”

She added that in the Cayman Islands, she would love to see the introduction of trade schools so that people who cannot go to university can still thrive here and she believe that by introducing such systems one can ensure that there is less inequality because everyone deserves a fair chance to excellent education.

The 2023 Miss Universe Cayman Islands Ileann Powery, known for her beach volleyball skills, handed over the title to Rutty, Cayman’s top female gymnast. Apart from the crown, she also won the People’s Choice Award, showcasing the attendees love for the winner. 

According to the information, Rutty’s journey began at 15 when she left the Cayman Islands to train in Houston, Texas, living with a host family before attending the University of Florida. 

She made her international debut at the 2016 Pan American Championships, finishing 26th in the all-around. She then competed at the Junior Commonwealth Games, where she finished 16th in the all-around.

In 2017, Rutty competed at the Central American Sports Festival, placing 16th. But the big moment came on June 28, 2021, when she received the Tripartite Invitation, an Olympic berth for countries with fewer than eight athletes in individual sports, to compete at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Rutty made history as the first Caymanian Olympic gymnast and the tallest gymnast to ever compete at the Olympic Games. Though she finished 80th in qualification and didn’t advance to the finals, her journey was far from over.