Singapore sprinter Shanti Pereira has won the women’s 200m gold at the 2026 Asian Games, successfully defending the title she won three years ago in Hangzhou.
The 30-year-old crossed the finish line in 22.78 seconds at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium on Sunday (27 September), earning Singapore its second gold medal of the Games.
Her victory also made her the first woman to win the Asian Games women’s 200m title twice.
Pereira Holds Off China’s Chen Yujie
Pereira was not the fastest starter in the final, with China’s Chen Yujie getting ahead early in the race.
However, the Singaporean accelerated strongly in the second half and overtook Chen to take gold. Chen finished second with 22.93 seconds, while India’s Harita Bhadra took bronze with 23.20 seconds.
Pereira’s winning time was also her season best. Her national record remains 22.57 seconds, set previously.
The win followed Pereira’s silver medal in the women’s 100m earlier in the Games, where China’s Chen won gold.
Singapore’s First Woman to Retain Asian Games 200m Crown
Pereira’s latest victory adds another milestone to her Asian Games career.
At the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, she won the women’s 200m gold, becoming the first Singaporean athlete to win an athletics gold medal at the Games since 1974.
By defending her title in Nagoya, she became the first female athlete in Asian Games history to win the women’s 200m event twice.
Her victory also marks her second athletics gold medal at the Asian Games.
Pereira Thanks Those Who Supported Her Journey
After the race, Pereira paid tribute to the people who supported her through difficult periods in her career.
She credited her family, coach Luis Cunha and fiancé Tan Zong Yang for helping her reach this stage.
Pereira had entered the final as the defending champion, a position that came with added pressure as she attempted to repeat her previous success.
Her gold medal adds to Singapore’s medal tally at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, where athletes are competing across multiple sports from 19 to 29 September 2026.
