This article is from page 28 of the 2009-08-11 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 28 JPG
THE coveted Mr Ireland title has made its way to Shannon.
Kamal Ibrahim (23) has achieved the honour, having fought off compe- tition from nine other finalists, at the Strand Hotel in Limerick last week.
He has now won the right to com- pete in the Mr World competition in Korea in September, while he has also secured a €25,000 contract with a top modelling agency in Dublin. A native of Thomondgate in Limerick, Kamal currently lives in Shannon with his Polish-born girlfriend, An- eta, who is an airhostess with Rya- ene
Kamal was born in Limerick, but his exotic looks are due to his mother hailing from Italy and his father from Nigeria.
Kamal works as a security supervi- sor in the Trinity Rooms in Limer- ick. He has also modelled with the Celia Holman Lee agency in Limer- ick for the past five years. Up until six months ago, he also worked as a recruitment consultant.
He thoroughly enjoys modelling and was thrilled to win the Mr Ire- land title. He will now avail of a
€25,000 contract with John Comp- ton modelling agency in Dublin.
He represented Clare in the Mr Ire- land competition, but did not rate his chances of winning the contest.
“I entered only four weeks before it started. I wasn’t in it to win. I was
in it for the experience. However, as I learned more about it, it changed and I was preparing myself for it,” he said.
“The competition was based on physique and looks, while character and personality were important,” he added.
Participants had to model three dif- ferent outfits and engage in a ques- tions and answers session with the judges. Everyone was judged on a points-based system and Kamal was the outright winner in the end.
As he savours the success, Kamal will now prepare for the Mr World
contest. He will spend four weeks in Korea for the competition. “I am go- ing to be training to get into shape. There will be a lot more gym and a lot more dieting. There will be a lot of work with my agent with regard to public speaking,” he said.
He is optimistic about his chances of success in Korea.
“IT am over the moon. I am really focused on what it is I want to do. I have every intention of going to Mr World and winning it and bringing it back,” he enthused.