SINGAPORE – Four meets, three national records – the month of March could not have been any better for Singaporean sprinter Shanti Pereira, who set yet another national mark at the Australian Open Track and Field Championships in Brisbane on Friday.
The 26-year-old clocked 11.38 seconds in the 100m heats to eclipse her own national mark by 0.08sec, just four weeks after she set a new best at the New Zealand Track and Field Championships in Wellington on March 3.
She will progress to Saturday’s semi-finals after she topped the heats, with the final scheduled on the same evening.
On Sunday, she will compete in the 200m heats for a spot in the final.
Last Saturday, she broke her 200m national record when she clocked 23.16sec at the Brisbane Track Classic.
Her 100m time in Wellington earlier in the month also saw her becoming the first Singaporean to top the World Athletics’ women’s 100m outdoor rankings in Asia. She also has the world’s 23rd best time in 2023.
Pereira told The Straits Times that she had not expected to go this fast on Friday.
She said: “For this competition, I was looking at just focusing on a better timing and just doing another personal best. I was looking at a timing of around 11.41 or 11.42. That was what my expectations were leading up to today. But of course it’s pleasing to do this.”
“Timings are always something I am looking to improve and it requires me to go back and see where I can improve. The goal is to always have better timings.
“The main thing now is to recover well because all these rounds can be taxing physically and mentally.”
After her stint in New Zealand and Australia, Pereira will return to Singapore to compete in the 83rd Singapore Open Track and Field Championships from April 26 to 28.
Her attention then turns to the May 5-17 Cambodia SEA Games, where she will be the favourite to retain her 200m title, while aiming to improve on her 100m silver.
Pereira is also eyeing other major events such as the July 12-16 Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok and the Hangzhou Asian Games from Sept 23 to Oct 8.
She said: “It helps that I know what my plan is for the whole season. Right now, I need to trust the process and enjoy it as much as I can.
“I have always loved it (running) but now I found a new perspective to take races as they come and focus on what I can control.
“I am really enjoying it.”
