SEA Games 2025: Athletes Shanti Pereira and Soh Rui Yong ready to shine in Thailand

BANGKOK – Thailand has a special chapter in sprint queen Shanti Pereira’s story.

It was here in the capital’s Supachalasai National Stadium in July 2023 when Pereira clinched a historic sprint double at the Asian Athletics Championships.

Then, in the 100m, she clocked a time of 11.20 seconds to write herself into the history books – she became Singapore’s first gold medallist at the continental competition and set a new national record, which still stands today.

On top of ending Singapore’s 16-year medal drought at the continental meet, she

also won the 200m

at the same venue two days later to seal an unprecedented sprint double.

More than two years on, Pereira is back in Thailand as she returns to the 19,615-seater stadium in a bid to retain her double gold from the 2023 edition.

A total of 47 gold medals are on offer in the Dec 11-16 track and field competition.

Pereira, who will also be part of Singapore’s 4x100m women’s relay, said: “Yes, I do (have special memories here). One of my career highlights was here, so I’m really excited to be competing there again.”

Her coach Luis Cunha added: “Given the unforgettable and amazing memories she’s made in that stadium, it’s natural she’s thrilled to return there and compete again.

“I’m sure she feels a special vibe there, which should help her perform at her best. We are confident she meets her expectations.”

Pereira will contest the 100m on Dec 11 and the 200m two days later before finishing with the relay on Dec 15.

The fact that she has progressed from an unfancied newcomer in her 2013 Games debut to overwhelming favourite in both sprint events is not lost on Pereira, as she prepares to compete in her seventh Games.

“Every major Games would get me looking back at my journey so far and I’m filled with a lot of gratitude for where I am now and the people that have helped me get here,” she said.

“The SEA Games will always hold a special place in my heart and with (Singapore) athletics on the rise, it’s especially meaningful seeing us make our mark with some of the best in the region. The feeling doesn’t get old.”

For Pereira, who has the fastest time clocked by any South-east Asian woman in both events in 2025, her main competition will come from the Philippines’ Zion Nelson and Kristina Knott.

Pereira’s season-best times are 11.40sec and 22.81 in the 100m and 200m. Nelson has clocked 11.52 and 23.86 respectively, while Knott’s – who won the 200m gold in 2019 – quickest times this season are 11.56 and 23.39.

She is also aiming for a relay medal after a record-breaking run

at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi

in May, when the quartet including Elizabeth-Ann Tan, Shannon Tan and Laavinia Jaiganth clocked 44.66sec to finish fifth out of seven teams.

The previous mark of 44.96sec was set in 2017 by Pereira, Wendy Enn, Dipna Lim-Prasad and Nur Izlyn Zaini. The mark was equalled in April by Pereira, Jaiganth, Elizabeth-Ann Tan and Kerstin Ong.

Pereira, who was not part of the relay team who finished fourth at the last Games, said: “The relay girls have been on fire this year, so we’re hoping for a good showing this time. The girls haven’t gotten a medal before, so our eyes are on that podium.”

Thailand also holds a special place in national distance runner Soh Rui Yong’s heart.

The two-time marathon champion, who

won a 10,000m silver in 2023 in Cambodia

, said: “From my personal perspective, it’s quite special because my first SEA Games was more than 10 years ago and now 10 years later, I’m doing my fourth. And my wife is Thai, so it’s pretty cool to compete in front of her homeland and her home city, Bangkok.”

Ahead of his 10,000m event on Dec 16, Soh completed a unique double by winning the national marathon and half-marathon titles at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon on Dec 6 and 7. He also endured a nervous wait to be medically cleared for the Games after his electrocardiogram (ECG) – a test to track one’s heart activity –

showed “abnormal” results

during a routine pre-Games medical screening on Dec 4.

But Soh’s campaign is back on track after Singapore Athletics (SA) confirmed on Dec 8 that a specialist conducted a full evaluation and

concluded that he is fit to compete

.

While Soh will look to do his best, he downplayed his chances of striking gold, saying: “I wouldn’t say it is a likely outcome. The last time, I gave everything I had... and I was extremely lucky to escape with a silver. So if I can get a medal again, that would be nice.”

Singapore will be represented by a record 39 athletes – 23 of them are debutants – which is the largest overseas athletics contingent in Singapore’s history.

In 2023, a 30-strong contingent won three gold, two silver and five bronze medals.

Besides Pereira and Soh, the other medal contenders for Singapore in track include Ang Chen Xiang, who claimed a first 110m hurdles title for Singapore in 56 years with his joint gold in 2023, 100m and 200m national record holder Marc Louis – in 2023 he missed the gold by 0.02sec to settle for silver in 10.39sec, and Calvin Quek, who recently set a national record of 49.75 in the 400m hurdles.

In field events, Kampton Kam will be gunning to end a medal drought for Singapore’s male high jumpers. He shattered a 30-year national record in April with a 2.25m effort to eclipse the previous national record of 2.22m set by Wong Yew Tong at the 1995 Games in Chiang Mai.

That silver medal was also the last time a male high jumper from Singapore finished on the podium at the Games. At the 2023 edition, Thailand’s Tawan Kaeodam clinched the gold after leaping 2.27m, with Vietnam’s Vu Duc Anh (2.17m) and Malaysia’s Farrell Felix (2.15m) claiming silver and bronze.

SA deputy general manager Bastian Dohling said: “Our focus is really on performance. We prefer to set key performance targets.

“We absolutely believe in our athletes and I can tell you that they’re in the best shape we’ve seen them and several of those are trending into medal territory.”