Shanti Pereira clocks 11.50sec to reach semis of Asian Athletics Championships

BANGKOK – Singapore’s sprint queen Shanti Pereira easily qualified for the women’s 100m semi-finals of the Asian Athletics Championships after clocking 11.50sec in the heats on Thursday.

The 26-year-old, who topped the first of four heats, placed fifth overall among 25 runners. Iran’s Hamideh Esmaeilnezhad and Farzaneh Farsihi were first and second in 11.33 and 11.42 respectively, followed by China’s Ge Manqi (11.45) and Japan’s Arisa Kimishima (11.46).

Fellow Singaporean Elizabeth-Ann Tan is also in the 16-strong field for Friday’s semi-finals after clocking a personal-best 11.81 to place 12th.

Pereira’s time is 0.24sec off her national mark of 11.26, which was set in May at the 58th International Pentecost Sport Meeting in Rehlingen, Germany.

After achieving a historic sprint double at the SEA Games by clinching the 100m and 200m titles, Pereira could stand a chance of winning a medal at the Asian championships.

Her season-best time of 11.26sec is the second quickest in the region in 2023. Only China’s 2014 Asian Games champion Wei Yongli, who is not competing at the Bangkok meet, has gone faster, posting a time of 11.24sec in June.

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While the field in Bangkok does not feature 2018 Asian Games champion Edidiong Ofinome Odiong from Bahrain and defending champion Olga Safronova from Kazakhstan, there are a few others who could challenge Pereira for a podium finish.

Based on times this season, Pereira’s biggest threats could come from Esmaeilnezhad and Kimishima, who clocked 11.37 to win the Fuse Sprint in Japan less than three weeks ago.

Fellow Singaporean Marc Louis qualified for the men’s 100m semi-finals after he finished second in his heat in 10.43sec. The Republic’s other male sprinter Mark Lee clocked 10.63 to finish fifth out of seven in his heat.

Japan’s Hiroki Yanagita topped the men’s 100m heats in 10.10sec, while Malaysia’s Azeem Fahmi, who missed the SEA Games in May, clocked 10.24 to place fifth.

Singapore’s last medal at the regional meet came in 2017 when Rachel Yang won silver in the women’s pole vault. The last time the Republic won a medal in a track event was back in 1975.