RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES - 06-Nov-1980

TOKYO (PS&S) — Miss Costa Rica, Lorna Marlene Chavez, was crowned the Miss 1980 International Beauty in final judging Tuesday night. The 5-foot, 7-inch, beauty won over a field of 42 other contestants from around the world. Miss American Beauty, Charissa Ann Ewing, 19, was named first runner-up and Miss Spain, Maria Agustina Garcia Alcaide, 18, second runner-up.

"I'm too happy for words," Miss Chavez, 21, a former student at Tokyo's Sophia University said after her crowning. The lovely brunette measures 34-23-34 and weighs a trim 110 pounds. She enjoys swimming, tennis, dancing and is a professional model. Miss Chavez lived in Japan from 1968 to 1974 and says that Japanese cuisine is one of her most favorite foods.

At the outset of the contest, she had expressed hopes of being "in the top 15 finalists." She talked to her mother in Costa Rica right after her selection. She said her mother thought the contest would be a "good experience." "My mother told me to send kisses to everyone," Miss Chavez told the audience in fluent Japanese. The new Miss International also won the national costume segment earlier in the program.