Singaporean Shanti Pereira Breaks National Records Again at the Asian Athletics Championships

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

Well, it might as well be Superman.

Singaporean sprinter Shanti Pereira has broken records again with her 100m event. This time, at the Asian Athletics Championships.

Here’s more about the national star who finished her race with flying colours.

Singapore Sprinter Breaks National Records Again at the Asian Athletics Championships

The 100m event just took place at the Asian Athletics Championships, and Singapore’s very own Shanti Pereira has claimed the gold for our island.

Not only did she clinch the top prize, but she also rewrote the existing record for the women’s event.

Pereira, who is 26 years old, sped through the 100m in a mere 11.20 seconds.

Yes, you read that right. 11.20 seconds. That’s faster than some of us think about whether we are up for a 100m run, right?

This is the sixth time Pereira has broken the national women’s 100m record this year.

Her new record shaves a precious 0.06 seconds from her previous record of 11.26 seconds, which Pereira achieved at a competition in Germany a few months earlier.

With her newest time, Pereira beat competitors Farzaneh Fasihi from Iran (who clocked a time of 11.39 seconds) and Ge Manqi from China (who clocked a time of 11.40 seconds) to emerge top of the podium at the Suphachalasai National Stadium.

Shanti Pereira Won Singapore’s First Medal at the Asian Athletics Championships in 16 Years

The nation celebrates with Pereira not only because of her gold medal and her breaking a national record.

This medal in the women’s 100m sprint event also marks the end of a medal drought at the Asian Athletics Championships for a long 16 years.

The last medal that Singapore won at this regional meet was won by national pole vaulter Rachel Yang in 2007. She had clinched the silver medal at her event.

The victory must be even sweeter for Pereira as her current achievement marks a significant improvement from her previous 2019 attempt at the same event.

In 2019, Pereira did not even make the finals for the women’s 100m sprint. She had finished 11^th in the semi-finals.

Speaking to The Straits Times, Pereira said her win was “crazy”. That said, the national star is still humble, sharing that she is “just thankful for everything, thankful for the whole process and everything that has come along with it”.

Congrats to Shanti Pereira for her feat!