Beloved and Beautiful: Australian Miss Universe finalist dies after tragic equestrian accident

Fashion model and last year’s Miss Universe finalist, Sienna Weir, died on Thursday as the result of a tragic horse riding accident. The Aussie finalist was only 23 years old.

Weir, known for her kindness and passion for art, literature and horses was riding a horse at Windsor Polo Grounds on April 2 when there was an accident. She died on life support a little more than a month later from fatal injuries at Westmead Hospital.

The model and social media influencer’s final Instagram posts were quickly answered with posts, praising her for physical beauty, saying they loved her.

“We loved with a love that was more than love,” her boyfriend Tom Bull wrote, according to local outlets.

Friends also weighed in to pour their affection for Weir.

Miss International 2022 Jasmin Selberg wrote under Weir’s last Instagram post, “As a fellow equestrian, this pains me even more. Rest in Peace.”

Photographer Chris Dwyer also wrote kind words Weir on Instagram Stories, writing: “You were one of the kindest souls in the world, you lit up a room and the world is a lot darker now you’re gone. Hope wherever you are, you’re being the gremlin we all know and love. Miss you so much already.”

Even those who didn’t know Weir were heart-struck by the loss of their fellow Aussie.

“Heaven has gained the most beautiful angel today. I’ll miss everything about you [Sienna], I love you,” one person posted, while a friend added, “lit up every room.”

When asked by her predecessor, Miss Universe Daria Varlamova what her “essential qualities” were, Weir said, “I would have to say being open to opportunities, sociability, dedication, being multi-faceted as an individual, and having integrity … I believe that while it is so important to stand by what you believe in and what you love, you never know what opportunity is just around the corner, and it is vital to push yourself to try new things and to fully know yourself. If I hadn’t done so, I wouldn’t be here!”

Weir, affectionately known as “Gremlin” to her closest friends praised her “cuddle monster” horses and loved English literature, “especially Gothic poetry.”

“I place a great level of importance on self-expression through language, whether it is reading, writing, or speaking, and this is something I really want to maintain through both my professional and artistic pursuits,” she said last September in an interview with Gold Coast Magazine.

Weir’s elegant traits gave her a noticeable level of distinction and sophistication above the other 26 competitors whom she defeated when she won the 2022 Miss Universe Australia crown.

“Although I’ve lived most of my life in the city, I have a deep and unmoving love for show jumping,” she told Gold Coast. 

“My family aren’t quite sure where this passion came from, but I’ve been horse-riding since I was 3 years old and can’t imagine my life without it… I travel to rural Sydney two to three times a week to train and compete around New South Wales or broader Australia every other weekend,” she said.

Weir was born in Sydney, New South Wales on October 27, 1999. She had one sister and grew up with both her mother and father.