Lyudmila Sekriy, a 39-year-old mother of four from Vidnoye in the Moscow region, won the Mrs. Earth 2026 beauty pageant in Kuala Lumpur on July 25.
The Russian entrepreneur of Moldovan origin claimed the crown in her first international pageant after starting her beauty contest journey to inspire her children. Sekriy said her victory was made possible through her children, natural openness, and determination to overcome personal fears.
Her path to the stage began with a secret childhood dream that resurfaced through her children. Three of her older children participate in professional sports, training daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. When her youngest daughter Angelina turned four, Sekriy decided against enrolling her in intense sports and instead registered both of her daughters for the Mini-Miss Russia competition.
Her husband initially opposed the entry, believing contest results were predetermined. Sekriy insisted on participating and spent nights sewing competition dresses by hand with needle and glue until her fingers bled. Angelina won her age category, which moved her husband to tears at the final.
Following the children's event, the contest director invited Sekriy to compete in the mother category. Sekriy initially declined due to family responsibilities, but reconsidered after four-year-old Angelina asked why her mother was afraid of pursuing her own childhood dream.
Overcoming Fear and Entering Contests
Before entering her first pageant, Sekriy decided to confront her lifelong fear of horses ahead of the 2026 Chinese Year of the Horse. She booked a photo session with thoroughbred horses, mounted a horse despite intense anxiety, and posted the photos on New Year's Eve alongside a personal vow to dedicate one full year to her own growth.
She began competing at the Queen of Moscow pageant to gain experience, winning all available titles including Mother of the Year 2026. That success earned her an invitation to represent Moscow at Mrs. Russia, where her victory secured her spot at the Mrs. Earth international final in Malaysia.
The contest schedule in Kuala Lumpur presented severe physical demands. Participants slept only three to four hours a night, waking at 6 a.m. for hair and makeup. Sekriy asked makeup artists to use less mascara so her eyes would not stick shut during long days of rehearsals under heat.
Organizers provided burgers and spicy local dishes that Sekriy could not eat, leaving her to endure the event with minimal food and sleep. Her language barrier added difficulties, though her assistant and children's tutor Yekaterina accompanied her to translate and assist with scheduling changes, fines for tardiness, and long preparation lines.
Behind the Scenes at Mrs. Earth
Sekriy found three-hour group rehearsals frustrating as instructors repeatedly explained stage positioning to adult contestants. She also noted heavy psychological pressure, as choreographers, organizers, and assistants functioned as secret judges assessing contestants' behavior, stress management, and interactions around the clock.
She noted that 40 participants had to stand under hot sun during photo shoots while wearing heavy crowns. Sekriy was the only participant who removed her crown between camera takes to relieve the pressure on her head.
Despite the competitive atmosphere, Sekriy formed positive bonds with several contestants. A contestant originally from Ukraine representing another nation invited Sekriy to visit her home, while an American contestant frequently messaged her to praise her family. Sekriy noted that a subsequent U.S. article claimed their representative won Mrs. Earth without mentioning Russia, even though official top five photos show Sekriy wearing the winner's crown in the center.
Political tensions surfaced when the director of the Ukrainian delegation forcibly pulled their participant away from a group photo banner near Sekriy. Pageant directors separated the women to prevent conflict, but Sekriy held the Ukrainian contestant's hand before the final to wish her luck, receiving a dry thank you in return.
Sekriy also intervened during a medical emergency around 1 a.m. when another contestant collapsed backstage from a pre-stroke condition. As others walked past, Sekriy unfastened the woman's dress and sash, kissed her forehead, and summoned her husband, who suffered from a hernia, to carry the participant to her room while Yekaterina called a doctor.
Planting the Tree of Russia
During the second day of the event, contestants traveled to a Malaysian national park to plant trees representing their home nations. Sekriy became the first participant to plant a tree for Russia in the park's history.
While other contestants complained about working in the heat with crowns, Sekriy drew on her village upbringing. She knelt in the dirt in her crown and dug the ground with her bare hands, declining assistance from staff. The contest director embraced her at the site and told her that kindness should win.
Contestants later visited an environmental company office and toured central Kuala Lumpur, where thousands of spectators gathered. Sekriy took photographs with local families and children despite warnings about potential health risks.
Personal History and National Identity
Sekriy's commitment to representing Russia stems from her personal history. Orphaned at age 14 after her mother died of a stroke and her father passed away shortly after, she moved from Moldova to Russia with her older brother. She worked on construction sites without formal documents, housing, or knowledge of the language.
By age 19, Sekriy owned beauty salons and building material stores. By age 20, she worked as an interior designer creating projects for wealthy clients on Rublyovka in the Moscow region.
With dual Moldovan and Russian citizenship, Sekriy chose to compete under the Russian flag to express gratitude to the country where she built her life. At the tree planting ceremony, she kissed and blessed the nameplate marked Russia. Although some in Moldova called her a traitor for her choice, she was welcomed at the airport as a hero when retrieving her children from her mother-in-law.
Creating Eco Costumes Under Pressure
Sekriy designed her competition wardrobe, ordering six dresses online just one month before the event without initial fittings. Yekaterina transported 40 kilograms of garments in her luggage, prompting customs officials to inspect the bags and delaying her arrival until just before the opening showcase.
For the national costume segment, Sekriy conceived an ecological concept using real dried leaves on her face and hands to represent nature and newspapers on her body to represent media noise. When the collected leaves crumbled in Malaysia's climate, Sekriy and Yekaterina attempted to re-purpose hotel curtains for fabric.
Her husband searched local stores for substitute fabric and attempted to rent a sewing mannequin from a lingerie shop, accidentally buying a bra instead when store clerks misunderstood him. Sekriy and Yekaterina finished sewing the dress overnight on their knees, producing a costume that impressed judges on stage.
Addressing Social Media Criticism
Following her victory, Sekriy faced online criticism from commenters who claimed her husband purchased the crown, that she underwent multiple plastic surgeries, and that nannies raised her children. Sekriy denied all claims, emphasizing that she has had no plastic surgeries, raised her children without nannies, and that her husband initially opposed her pageant entry.
She concluded that attempting to convince critics was unnecessary as long as her family knew the truth about her efforts.
Family Transformations After the Pageant
The pageant experience transformed Sekriy's relationship with her family. After experiencing the grueling schedule of rehearsals and public appearances, Sekriy apologized to her daughter for underestimating the strain of professional sports training.
She reduced her children's daily sports training hours by half to give them more free time. Her children subsequently formed a supportive team around her, managing camera setups and offering assistance during her public interviews. Sekriy fulfilled her personal growth goal within six months of starting her journey in 2026.
