Shanti Pereira wins gold in 200m, Singapore’s first athletics title at Asian Games since 1974
HANGZHOU – Singapore sprinter Shanti Pereira ended Singapore’s 49-year wait for an athletics gold medal as she claimed the women’s 200m title on Monday.
Pereira, 27, clocked 23.03 seconds at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, ahead of China’s Li Yuting (23.28sec) Bahrain’s Edidiong Ofonime Odiong (23.48sec).
This caps what has been a stunning season for the Singaporean, who on Saturday won the 100m silver.
Her gold on Monday is Singapore’s first in track and field at the quadrennial Games since Chee Swee Lee won the women’s 400m crown at the 1974 Teheran Games.
In addition to her Asiad medals, Pereira’s accolades in 2023 include golds in the 100m and 200m at the Cambodia SEA Games and Asian Athletics Championships.
At August’s World Athletics Championships, she also became the first Singaporean to reach the semi-finals after clocking 22.57sec in the 200m heats, and meeting the Paris 2024 Olympic qualifying mark.
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