SEA Games 2025: Shanti Pereira wins 200m gold, claims historic double-double
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Singapore sprint queen Shanti Pereira celebrating her victory after winning the women's 200m final at the SEA Games at Suphachalasai National Stadium in Bangkok on Dec 13.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
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- Shanti Pereira defended her 200m title at the SEA Games in 23.05sec, achieving a historic double-double but expressed disappointment in her time despite securing gold.
- Marc Louis won silver in the men's 200m with a national record of 20.72sec, redeeming himself after a "heartbroken" fourth-place finish in the 100m.
- Nguyen Thi Oanh equalled the record for most athletics gold medals at the Games with 13.
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BANGKOK – Shanti Pereira is an athlete who wears her heart on her sleeve, particularly when it comes to the SEA Games.
At the Hanoi Games in 2022, there were tears and disbelief after winning her second gold medal in the 200m, seven years after her first.
She was once again visibly emotional and fighting back tears in 2023, when she became the first Singaporean woman to claim a sprint double at the Cambodia Games.
On Dec 13, however, after retaining her 200m crown to complete a historic double-double for Singapore at the biennial event, Pereira was cool, calm and candid.
“I’m really happy I managed to win today, but kind of disappointed, though. I wish I did a better time today, honestly, because my training indicated I could definitely go faster, and so did my warm-up.
“(But) that’s okay. The goal was to come and defend my title and I did that, so I’m really happy,” said Pereira, who blazed to victory in the final at the Supachalasai National Stadium in 23.05 seconds.
Vietnam’s Le Thi Cam Tu bagged the silver in 23.14sec, with Zion Nelson of the Philippines taking the bronze in 23.50sec.
Pereira, 29, who holds the national record of 22.57sec, is the first Singaporean to win the 100m and 200m women’s titles in back-to-back Games, after retaining her 100m gold with a time of 11.36sec on Dec 11.
She joins Vietnam’s Vu Thi Huong (2007 and 2009) as the only women from the region to achieve such a feat.
Singapore sprint queen Shanti Pereira sprinting past the finish line in the women’s 200m final at the SEA Games at Suphachalasai National Stadium in Bangkok on Dec 13.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
On joining Huong in the exclusive club, Pereira was more visibly surprised.
She said: “Oh wow, I didn’t know that. That feels amazing, honestly, to be able to have that title is pretty amazing. I’m honoured to have that.
“This is my seventh SEA Games. It’s been such an incredible journey and so many ups and downs. Everyone knows my story already, but here I am. I showed up and I won. Just incredibly thankful for everything.”
The evolution of Pereira has unfolded through the Games, where she has progressed from an unfancied newcomer in her 2013 Games debut to an overwhelming favourite. She has gone from doing the chasing to becoming the one being hunted.
And she is now often referred to as the sprint queen.
Pereira said: “It’s a lot of pressure having people call you that. I choose to focus on the fact that I am actually called that, and it is a privilege. I am thankful that I am even in this position... coming in as a favourite, coming as a defending champion, and I don’t know if I will feel this way again.”
Earlier in the day, she clocked 23.35sec to top her heat and the 11-athlete field, with Tu and Nelson second and third overall in 23.50 and 23.62 respectively. Teammate Elizabeth Tan was disqualified in heat 2 for lane infringement.
Pereira also credited her support system, including her family – who were in the stands – and her coach Luis Cunha.
“They are everything, they are the reason I’m here, the reason I’m still showing up at these major Games and still being in this position to defend my title,” she said. “They are the people that got me out of so many tough times.”
Pereira is hoping to add to her medal haul on Dec 15, when she competes in the women’s 4x100m relay.
Her fellow sprinter Marc Louis too had a day to remember on Dec 13 after winning the silver in the men’s 200m. It was Singapore’s first medal in the event since Hamkah Afik bagged a silver at the 1993 Games.
Louis also lowered his national record to 20.72sec in the final, bettering the previous mark of 20.88sec he set in the heats earlier. For the 23-year-old, it was a case of redemption after he was “heartbroken” following the 100m event on Dec 11.
Then, Louis finished fourth in 10.32sec, as Puripol Boonson took the gold, while Indonesia’s Lalu Zohri and Malaysia’s Danish Iftikhar Roslee claimed the other podium places.
Louis was delighted with his 200m effort, where he finished ahead of Danish (20.73sec).
He said: “I feel so, so, so happy… because two days ago, I didn’t medal in the 100, and that’s my favourite event, so I was a bit heartbroken.
“And today I had to move on, and forget about that... and perform and run my best. And I did amazing, better than I thought. So I’m just happy to get a second place and new national record.
“That’s my first ever 200m in the SEA Games, or any major Games so I’m super super happy with the results and lost for words.”
The event was won by Thailand sprint sensation Puripol in a meet record time of 20.07sec, the fourth-fastest time recorded by an Asian, to add to his 100m gold.
On Dec 11, the 19-year-old became the first South-east Asian to run the 100m sprint in under 10 seconds, clocking 9.94sec in the heats before his 10.00sec final time.
More history could be made in Bangkok yet.
Vietnamese middle-distance runner Nguyen Thi Oanh’s victory in the women’s 5000m on Dec 13, saw her win her 13th Games gold medal and move level with compatriot Nguyen Thi Huyen for most gold medals in Games athletics history.
But Oanh will get the opportunity to move clear and create history when she contests the 10,000m and the 3,000m steeplechase on Dec 15 and Dec 16 respectively.
