Kamal, top of the world

KAMAL Ibrahim, who lived in Shannon until a few weeks ago, was crowned Mr World in South Korea last weekend.

Kamal took the crown and a $50,000 prize, after seeing off competition from 73 other countries.
Speaking on Wednesday, he said he was delighted with the win but felt it hadn’t really sunk in yet.
“I’m thrilled but it still has to really hit home. I haven’t had the opportunity to sit down and digest it yet. I’m very proud of what I’ve done and I’m happy that people are pleased.”
A few weeks before the contest, it looked like Kamal wouldn’t make it to South Korea after he lost his sponsorship. However, Limerick publican Ken O’Connell stepped into the breach. “The day he bought the ticket was the last day that was available so I was very, very lucky.”
There were a number of dimensions to the competition, he said. “It wasn’t a beauty competition at all, it was 90% about things like character, personality and talent. They tested us in all sorts of ways from physical endurance to cooking. The first two weeks were very, very hard and it was designed like that to see who would cope best and whose leadership skills would come through.”
The final few days were spent preparing for a TV finale of the contest and it is set to be shown on Irish television in the next few weeks.
The role of Mr World involves a full time job for the next 12 months, which will see him travelling around the world. “The job is full time and it’s quite exciting. There will be a lot of travelling to Asia, the Pacific and Europe. I’ll be going to major international events and part of it involves fundraising for charity.”
Kamal had lived in Shannon for four years before setting out for South Korea in early March, but is now moving back to Limerick.