Abdul Rahman, Liaw (left) and Kirtan Raj pose for a special photo-call, taken on stage after the grand finale.
KUCHING (Sept 24): What started as a window of opportunity had turned out really well for Abdul Rahman Lee, who was crowned the winner of this year’s ‘Bachelor of Malaysia’ pageant.
The Bintulu-born student, currently undertaking Degree in Aerospace Engineering at Universiti Putra Malaysia in Selangor, beat the competition from 15 other finalists to clinch the coveted title during the finale staged on UCSI Hotel here Friday night.
However, he said he never expected to join – much less, win – the competition, thinking that his physique was ‘oversized’ to qualify for the pageant.
“You see, I was an athlete before – I took up discus-throwing; so I thought my physique was too big.
“Plus, I felt that I had no confidence. But it was Mr Geo (Allen George, the national director of Bachelor of Malaysia 2022) who approached me last year and encouraged me to join upon seeing that I clicked ‘likes’ on some of the video posts about male pageants on social media.
“I liked seeing how male pageants could build up the confidence of the contestants. Eventually, I thought about giving it a go.
“After all, discus-throwing had been my first challenge and I felt that I needed a new challenge, so might as well I’d go for it.
“So to being crowned a winner tonight, it’s fantastic,” said Abdul Rahman, 24, who had competed in the SEA Games in the Philippines back in 2019.
Abdul Rahman delivers his presentation during the semi-final segment.
Asked about his best and also the most challenging moments in the competition, he said loved meeting new friends and learning from everyone involved.
“I see beauty in every contestant and I love their confidence.
“The most challenging part, however, was getting over my anxiety and nervousness being in a crowd, especially when I had to do public speaking. Having said that, this competition had definitely helped me overcome it.”
Looking ahead, Abdul Rahman said he would go all out in preparing for the international-level event, to be held in the Philippines either next month or in November.
“I have my work cut out for me because it will be an event far more different that Bachelor of Malaysia, with a different kind of crowd. I strive to inspire everyone to be the best that they can be, and I think this is truly the platform that pageants, whether they are for men or women, are meant to be,” he said.
Placing first runner-up was Jonathan Liew, a 22-year-old entrepreneur from Sabah, who also won three subsidiary titles of the night: ‘RL’s Angel Ambassador’, ‘Mr Sash Factor’ and ‘Best in Suit’.
At third place was a fitness consultant and content creator from Selangor, Kirtan Raj Gunarajah, 27, who also received ‘Miss Malaysia Pageant-Ronakawi Fans’ Choice Award’.
Finishing at fourth and fifth were Jayden Thian, a 30-year-old fitness manager from Penang, and Johnny Bong, 29-year-old business owner from Kuching.
Both also took home some subsidiary titles – Thian was ‘Best Speaker’, while Bong was ‘Mr Fitness’ and ‘Mr Favourite’.
Roger Hugo Amandus, a 21-year-old entrepreneur from Sabah, was appointed as Mr International Malaysia 2022.
Abdul Rahman, flanked by Trinh (left) and Aiman, in a post-event photo-call.
Also present at the grand finale were Bachelor of Malaysia’s founder and president Haikal Ezrie, ‘Mr International 2018’ winner Trinh Van Bao from Vietnam, as well as a host of ‘Bachelor of Malaysia’s alumni: ‘Mr Tourism World 2019’ Danial Hansen, ‘Man of the World Malaysia 2021’ Aiman Minsi, ‘Mr Global Malaysia 2021’ Sreebathy Gobi, ‘Mr Friendship Malaysia 2021’ Steve Bradley, and ‘Bachelor of Malaysia Fourth Edition’ winner Dr Benedict Yu.