Shanti Pereira, Singapore’s sprint queen, won an admirable silver medal in the women’s 100m final at the Asian Athletics Championships on May 28. The tournament took place at Gumi Civic Stadium in South Korea. The 28-year-old finished 0.04 seconds behind China’s Liang Xiaojing, who won gold in 11.37 seconds. Tran Thi Nhi Yen of Vietnam won the bronze medal in 11.54 seconds.
Pereira entered the final after clocking a season-best 11.40 seconds in the heats, finishing second out of 21 sprinters. Liang recorded the fastest qualifying time at 11.22 seconds. Despite a poor start in the final, Pereira ended well and expressed satisfaction with her performance. She described the silver as a proud accomplishment and a sign of her continuous continental level.
Coach Luis Cunha stated that they had prepared adequately for the championship. While victory was just missed, he commended her form and race strategy. Singapore Athletics president Lien Choong Luen acknowledged the strong competition while praising Pereira’s steady international performance this season.
The Asian Championships remain an important platform for Pereira, who completed the 100m-200m double in 2023. Now she’s preparing for the 200m heats on May 30, where she hopes to shine again.
