Miss Universe 2007

Riyo Mori, a 20-year-old dancer from Japan who hopes to someday open an international dance school, was crowned Miss Universe 2007 Monday night.

Mori, from the small town of Shizuoka at the base of Mount Fuji, won the cheers of the Mexico City audience when she opened her interview, saying "Hola, Mexico!" "I learned how to always be happy, be patient and to be positive, and this is what I want to teach to the next generation," Mori,clasped her hands and trembled with joy as she received the crown from last year's winner, Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico. "My mind went blank," she said of the winning moment. "I'm really happy, I cannot believe it yet," said Mori, whose ambition is to open an international dance school. Mori has been dancing since she was 4 years old.

Mori, the 56th winner of the title, was given her $250,000 diamond-and-pearl crown by last year's winner, Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico, Miss Universe 2006, crowned her successor at the conclusion of the two-hour primetime telecast, before an estimated worldwide viewing audience of more than 1 billion in over 170 countries.