Singapore’s sprint star Shanti Pereira has once again proven her place among Asia’s finest, clinching two silver medals and leading her relay team to a new national record at the Asian Athletics Championship 2025 in Gumi, South Korea.
Despite narrowly missing out on gold in both 100m and 200m sprints, Shanti’s stellar performance marked a historic milestone for Singaporean athletics. She became the first Singaporean sprinter to win two individual medals in consecutive editions for the Asian meet.
A Groundbreaking Achievement
Shanti, 28, clocked a season-best, 22.98 seconds in the 200m final, just 0.01 seconds behind China’s Chen Yujie (22.97) and ahead of fellow Chinese sprinter Li Yuting (23.23). Earlier in this week, she claimed silver in the 100m, finishing with a time of 11.41 seconds, trailing China’s Liang Xiaojing by 0.04 seconds.
Though she did not retain her double-gold titles from the 2023 championships in Thailand, Shanti’s consistent podium finishes underscore her staying power at the elite level. Her coach, Luis Cunha, called the results ‘groundbreaking’ and a major step forward for Singaporean track and field.
“Her feat of earning two individual medals in the Asian championships was unprecedented for Singapore. This is truly remarkable milestone for Singaporean sports and athletics in Asia”.
Adding to her individual accolades, Shanti also helped power Singapore’s women’s 4x100m relay team to a new national record of 44.66 seconds, breaking the previous record of 44.96 set in 2017. She ran alongside Elizabeth-Ann Tan, Shannon Tan and Laavinia Jaignath, who expressed pride in their collective effort.
“We have been practicing really hard together. We’re very happy that our hard work paid off and we didn’t just equal the record, we broke it by a whole 0.3 seconds”
Although they finished fifth out of seven teams, the results will prepare them for the upcoming SEA Games in December, where the team is now ranked second among participating Southeast Asian countries.
Singapore Athletics (SA) president Lien Choong Luen hailed Shanti’s back-to-back silvers as ‘incredible’, pointing to her sustained excellence over the years.
“Shanti’s back-to-back silver medals over 100m and 200m in Korea is an incredible feat in field packed with lots of talent. While her performance at the 2023 edition saw different medal colours, the ability to stay consistent over multiple years is a testament to her determination and that of coach Luis and her team. Her longevity and performance is an inspiration for our young athletes.”
Coach Luis Cunha offered a philosophical take on their journey.
“Life’s all about perspective. A glass of water can be half-full, half-empty, or even full but too cold or not tasty. Unfortunately, we’re often surrounded by people with the latter perspective.”
Though she missed clinching goal, Shanti Pereira’s extraordinary showing in Gumi stands as a shining moment in Singapore’s athletics history.
Sources: The Straits Times
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