A national player for badminton who represented the Philippines at the Southeast Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2011 is blazing a trail as she eyed the Bb. Pilipinas 2019 beauty pageant.
Dia Nicole Mancao Magno, of Butuan City, said that this is the first time that she will compete in a beauty contest as she has been training for the pageant at the Kagandahang Flores (KF) beauty camp under pageant guru Rodgil Flores in Quezon City since January this year.
"I chose KF because that's where my sister Jessica used to teach the question-and-answer for the candidates. I am so happy that my family is so supportive of my journey to Bb. PIlipinas," said Magno during an exclusive interview moments before she enlisted for the pageant at the Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) headquarters at the Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City last Monday afternoon.
Magno, 24, is also an entrepreneur who graduated Interdisciplinary Studies at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City in 2016. She is the youngest in the three children of Primy Ann and Carlo Magno.
At the age of 15, Magno who either played in singles or doubles was ranked No. 1 by the Philippine Badminton Association. Aside from SEA Games in Indonesia, she competed in tournaments in Thailand, Malaysia, and China.
These days, the 5'7 tall future beauty queen has retired from badminton. She is now focused on her skin clinic and beauty pageant.
"It's always been a dream of mine (to join pageants). At the back of my head since high school, I really wanted to try pageants but I focused more on my sports. High school and college I was a full scholar - La Salle in high school and Ateneo in college - because of badminton," she said.
Calling herself a warrior in sports, Magno said that she is ready to trade her badminton racket to high-heeled shoes. "I play like a warrior in court. I am excited to wear heels, actually."
For her advocacy, Magno said that she wants to teach badminton to children not just to stay fit and healthy but to impart the discipline she got from the sports.
''Sports really changed me. Now I am teaching badminton to kids. I want them to learn proper discipline which I learned from sports," she said.
The grand coronation of the Binibining Pilipinas 2019 beauty pageant will be held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City in June.
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