Athletics: Shanti Pereira clocks season-best 11.84sec in 100m at Singapore Open

National sprinter Shanti Pereira clocked 11.84sec in the women's 100m at the Singapore Open Track and Field Championships, on April 28, 2016. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

SINGAPORE - National sprinter Shanti Pereira was in fine form at the Singapore Open Track and Field Championships, as she sprinted to a season-best in the women's 100m at the National Stadium on Thursday.

The reigning SEA Games 200m champion clocked 11.84sec in the century sprint, behind champion Komalam Selvaretnam (11.82) and ahead of Siti Fatimah (11.90).

Shanti noted that she has been making progress. She said: "Usually around this time, I'll be doing timings that are way off. I worked a lot on my technique and some people said that I look a lot better running now than last time."

She will race in the 200m on Friday.

The Republic's other national athletes also had good runs on the first day of the two-day meet. Dipna Lim-Prasad clinched the silver in the women's 400m in 56.33, while national 110m hurdles record holder Ang Chen Xiang clocked 14.50 in the 110m hurdles to bag the bronze medal.

SEA Games bronze medallist Michelle Sng also clinched the bronze in the women's high jump with a 1.70m effort.

However, Zubin Percy Muncherji,19, was hampered by a hamstring cramp midway through his men's 400m race and finished sixth in 48.27. Just two weeks ago at the Philippine National Open-Invitational Athletics Championship, the national record holder had clocked a season's best of 47.85 in the same event.

But the full-time national serviceman, who is one of the prospects to be awarded a wildcard spot for the Rio Olympic Games, remains positive.

He said: "I can't be the best all the time. Just got to bite the bullet and keep running. I know that I am in the running (to be selected for the Olympics) with a few other guys, but I can't let one race alter much.

"Honestly, I'm not too bothered about it. If I get selected, it's great. But if I'm not, it's okay because I'm still young. I'm just trying to focus on getting faster times."

Calvin Kang failed to qualify for the 100m sprint finals when he clocked 10.77 in the semi-finals.

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