SINGAPORE: Singapore sprint queen Shanti Pereira clinched a 100m silver at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, on Wednesday (May 28).
Pereira, the defending champion in the event as well as the 200m, clocked a time of 11.41s to finish behind China’s Liang Xiaojing, who had a time of 11.37s. Vietnam’s Tran Thi Nhi Yen took bronze with a time of 11.54s.
Despite a somewhat slower start, the Singaporean showed her mettle as she powered through in the final stretch to cross just behind Liang.
The 28-year-old had qualified for Wednesday’s finals by finishing second overall in the heats behind Liang with a season’s best time of 11.40s. Liang led the field with a time of 11.22s.
At the 2023 edition of the championships, Pereira clinched a historic sprint double.
In the 100m, she clocked a time of 11.20s to take gold and set a new national record, which still stands today. Iran’s Farzaneh Fasihi took second place in Bangkok in 11.39s, and China’s Ge Manqi rounded off the podium with a time of 11.40s.
Days later, the Singaporean obliterated the field in the 200m with a time of 22.70s – a meet record – with India’s Jyothi Yarraji taking the silver in 23.13s and China’s Li Yuting taking the bronze in 23.25s.
