Asian Games 2023: Shanti Pereira wins women’s 200m, seals Singapore’s first gold medal in athletics since 1974
- Sprinter races to 200m glory, finishing ahead of China’s Li Yuting and Bahrain’s Edidiong Odiong
- Pereira adds a winner’s medal to silver she claimed on Saturday in the 100m
Shanti Pereira pulled away from the field and raced into the history books in the women’s 200m at the Asian Games on Monday, sealing Singapore’s first athletics gold medal in 49 years.
Pereira won in a time of 23:03 seconds, ahead of China’s Li Yuting (23:28) in second. Bahrain’s Edidiong Odiong took bronze in 23:48.
Singapore had not won a medal of any colour since Chee Swee Lee doubled up at Tehran 1974 with gold in the women’s 400m and bronze in the 4x100m relay.
But Pereira’s silver on Saturday in the 100m ended that, and she put Singapore back on top of the podium for just the third time ever in track and field at an Asian Games.
“I knew I crossed the line first, and I was like ‘oh my God’,” Periera said. “What a season, what a season.
“I just saw the finish line, I knew I won. It’s been so crazy. It means a lot to me. I can’t really describe this. It’s been incredible.”
The favourite and fastest qualifier led from the start after her biggest rival, the 2019 400m world champion Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain, was disqualified for a false start.
Shanti came around the bend with only a small lead, but pulled away on the straight to win to add a second medal to her collection, something she never even considered possible before the Games.
“I never thought this,” she said “I wanted to do this, I loved to do this, but this exact position, I never thought it was possible. To be here, it’s amazing.”
