2025 Athlete of the Year nominee: Shanti Pereira

Q: If 2023 was titled Breakthrough and 2024 was about Perseverance, what would be the title of your 2025 chapter?

A: It would be called Making My Mark. I think 2023 was definitely a breakthrough year when I emerged as one of the top athletes in Asia. But I think 2025 was the year that tested me because I had the goal of trying to hit that same standard as I did in 2023. Given the success that I had last year, I can say that 2025 was about making my mark in Asian and South-east Asian athletics.

Q: Was there anything you had to let go of to get to the level you did in 2025?

A: As the journey goes along, every year, every season, I always have to force myself to just let go of expectations. Especially in the past few years, because of how different my standard has changed from four to five years ago, as compared to what I’ve been doing now. The process (of getting there) involved having to let go of other people’s expectations and really tune into my own journey. I’m not just someone who’s coming into a competition trying to fight for a medal spot any more. I am someone who has won it before and then trying to stay there and not go anywhere else. It’s a different level that I never really experienced before. So it was really a year about just learning how to go about doing that, and in that process still staying true to myself, and remind myself that there are so many things that are just not within my control, and one of them is the expectations that other people have of me.

Q: If you had to pick one word to describe this era of Singapore athletics that you are leading, what would it be?

A: Revolution. I think we are in an era where we are sparking change. We are changing things, creating a whole new sense of what our sport is. There’s so many younger athletes who are coming up that are willing to put in all of their hard work, training full time and doing whatever it takes to excel in their event. At the recent SEA Games, I think we could see that we won a lot of medals from athletics and that is something that we haven’t seen for a while. It’s a new era and a very exciting era to be a part of.

Q: Do you hope that this unprecedented success will shape the future of local athletics?

A: I really hope so. A really big goal of mine is to be able to inspire as many people as possible. I’ve always said that it’s not really just about athletics, but it’s about (inspiring) whoever is chasing something that’s on a path less travelled. I want to be able to inspire that. And I really hope that what I’ve been doing, what Singapore athletics has been doing, will encourage that.

Q: While you’re constantly setting these new standards, operating in a space that no Singaporean track athlete has been in, what or who keeps your feet on the ground?

A: My family, all my friends, coach Luis (Cunha) and my partner. They’ve known me for so long, and so they are really the ones that keep me grounded. They make me realise that there’s a lot more to life outside this little bubble that I’m in when it comes to my sport. And I think it’s also just about never being satisfied and always wanting to learn and be better. I’m not perfect. There’s always things I can work on and I think that’s an important part of just staying grounded.

Q: You once used the Singlish word “shiok” to describe the feeling of what you do. After more than a decade in this sport, has the flavour of that joy changed? Is it as “shiok” as when you were a teenager?

A: I think it’s different, for sure. After being in this sport for so long, it means everything to me. It’s made me who I am and I’ve created so many memories just because I’ve been in this sport for so long. I met my soon-to-be husband (former national runner Tan Zong Yang) in this sport and I think that’s crazy. And I’m living my dream, so it’s definitely still “shiok” but maybe a little bit tastier.