VIDEO: Caity Worthington Crowned Miss Universe Australia 2026
Queensland radiographer and model Caity Worthington has been crowned Miss Universe Australia 2026 —securing the national title at the competition’s final at Crown Melbourne on Wednesday night, 26 August.
The Brisbane-based 28-year-old emerged victorious from a field of 28 national finalists —with the event broadcast nationally on Channel 7. Worthington succeeds Miss Universe Australia 2025 Lexie Brant and will now represent Australia at the international Miss Universe competition in Puerto Rico in November.
However, it was not only Worthington’s victory that attracted attention. Her response to a question about transgender athletes competing in women’s sport became one of the most widely discussed moments of the competition.
During the question-and-answer section —Worthington was asked whether excluding transgender women from women’s sporting competitions should be regarded as common sense or discrimination.
Drawing on her professional experience as a medical radiographer, Worthington argued that biological differences need to be recognised when considering fairness and safety in elite women’s sport. She said “human biology does not lie” and expressed support for protecting female sporting categories, while suggesting separate divisions could provide transgender athletes with opportunities to compete.
Her answer received strong applause from the audience and subsequently generated considerable media attention. Commentator Rita Panahi praised Worthington for giving what she regarded as a candid response to a politically sensitive issue rather than avoiding the controversy.
The issue of transgender participation in sport remains the subject of significant international debate, involving competing considerations around inclusion, fairness and athlete safety. Policies also vary considerably between sports and governing organisations. Worthington’s comments represent her own position within that broader and continuing debate.
Beyond the controversy, Worthington’s path to the Miss Universe Australia crown followed a challenging period in her personal life.
Before the national final, she revealed that she had entered the competition partly as a way of rebuilding her confidence after spending several years dealing with injury and illness. Only about a year earlier, she said, she had experienced difficulty walking without pain and was learning to trust her body again.
“I entered Miss Universe Australia as a way of rediscovering myself,” Worthington told Gold Coast Magazine before winning the title, explaining that the experience had encouraged her to move outside her comfort zone.
Worthington works as a radiographer while also pursuing modelling. She has described herself as grounded and compassionate and has spoken about wanting to eventually develop a platform supporting people experiencing major transitions in their lives, including recovery from injury and illness.
Worthington will now turn her attention to the international stage when she represents Australia at Miss Universe 2026 in Puerto Rico in November, seeking to become the third Australian to win the global crown after Kerry Anne Wells in 1972 and Jennifer Hawkins in 2004. (NQ)
