Singapore’s Shanti Pereira claims 100m crown at Asian Athletics Championships
BANGKOK – Singapore’s sprint queen Shanti Pereira claimed the Asian crown after clocking a sizzling 11.20sec to win the women’s 100m final at the Asian Athletics Championships on Friday.
Despite being a tad slower off the blocks, the 26-year-old ended her race superbly to finish ahead of Iran’s Farzaneh Fasihi (11.39) and China’s Ge Manqi (11.40) at the Suphachalasai National Stadium in the Thai capital.
Pereira also lowered her national record by 0.06sec in the process.
With her gold, she ended Singapore’s 16-year medal drought at the continental meet. The last athlete to win at the competition was pole vaulter Rachel Yang, who clinched silver in 2007.
In May, Pereira became the first Singaporean woman to complete the sprint double at the SEA Games after claiming the 100m and 200m titles in Cambodia.
Based on her times this season, she could be in contention for another double at the Asian championships.
Her next event is the women’s 200m, which starts on Saturday.
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