Miss South Africa who was held at gunpoint after being crowned wins Miss Universe

The woman representing South Africa has won the Miss Universe crown.

Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, who recently earned a business management degree and teaches self-defense courses for women, was crowned Sunday during the event at the Planet Hollywood casino-resort on the Las Vegas Strip. 

The 22-year-old winner has earned a yearlong salary, a luxury apartment in New York City for the duration of her reign and more prizes.

Her passion for self-defense was reinforced when she was carjacked and held at gunpoint in Johannesburg about a month after winning her title as Miss South Africa. 

Steve Harvey returned as the show's host despite botching the 2015 Miss Universe crowning, naming the wrong contestant as the winner. 

In June, about a month after she was crowned Miss South Africa, Nel-Peters was the victim of a vicious armed hijacking attempt in Johannesburg.

Three armed men approached her car as she was driving on Jan Smuts Avenue in Hyde Park. As they pointed their guns at the beauty queen's car she managed to exit the vehicle and flee.

A Good Samaritan saw her fleeing the scene and drove her to safety, and she escaped unharmed.

According to a statement from the Miss South Africa office, her purse and car were later recovered in the area by a private security company, which are common in the crime-ridden country.

Throughout Sunday's event, Harvey poked fun at his mishap in 2015, when he declared Miss Colombia the winner, though it was actually Miss Philippines who won.

Harvey told the audience he is 'grateful for the Oscars,' referring to the similar best-picture announcement flub at this year's Academy Awards. 

This year's Miss Universe competition had the most contestants ever, including the first ever representatives of Cambodia, Laos and Nepal. Ninety-two women from around the world participated in the 66-year-old competition.

During the competition's Q&A portion, Harvey asked Nel-Peters about what she thought was the most important issue facing women in the workplace.

“In some places, women get paid 75% of what men earn for doing the same job, working the same hours — and I do not believe that this is right,' she said. 'I think we should have equal work for equal pay for women all over the world.”

The runner-up for Miss Universe was Miss Colombia Laura Gonzalez, while the second runner-up was Miss Jamaica Davina Bennett. 

At Sunday's event, Grammy-Award winner Fergie performed her new song 'A Little Work' while the contestants walked down the stage wearing evening gowns.  

This year's judges included YouTube star Lele Pons, former judge of 'America's Next Top Model' Jay Manuel and Wendy Fitzwilliam, the 1998 Miss Universe winner from Trinidad and Tobago.

President Donald Trump once co-owned The Miss Universe Organization with NBCUniversal, but the network and the Spanish-language broadcaster Univision cut ties with him in 2015, refusing to air the show over his immigration proposals as a presidential candidate.

Trump sued both networks, eventually settling and selling off the entire pageant to talent management company WME/IMG.