BANGKOK – As she crossed the line at the Suphachalasai National Stadium on Friday, Shanti Pereira lifted her arms and screamed in celebration.
She had just done the unthinkable, writing herself into the history books as she became Singapore’s first gold medallist at the Asian Athletics Championships.
Singapore’s sprint queen clocked a sizzling 11.20 seconds to win the women’s 100m final at the regional meet, bettering her previous national mark by 0.06sec.
Despite being a tad slower off the blocks, the 26-year-old ended her race superbly to finish ahead of Iran’s Farzaneh Fasihi (11.39sec) and China’s Ge Manqi (11.40sec).
Even as her competitors came forward to congratulate her, Pereira still could not quite believe what she had achieved.
She told The Straits Times: “That was crazy. I didn’t know the time because when I dipped I didn’t turn to see the clock. I just waited for the announcer to say it and the moment I heard it, I was like ‘Oh my god’.
“On top of winning, it was also the time. At first, I was the SEA Games champion, now I’m the Asian champion, it’s freaking crazy.”
Pereira’s latest feat comes off the back of her historic achievement at the Cambodia SEA Games in May, as she became the first Singaporean woman to complete the sprint double at the biennial meet after claiming the 100m and 200m titles.
Friday’s gold in the Thai capital ended Singapore’s 16-year medal drought at the continental meet. The last athlete to win at the competition was pole vaulter Rachel Yang, who clinched silver in 2007.
The magnitude of her medal feat had not sunk in for Pereira in her post-race interview at the mixed zone, but the tears flowed freely as she stood atop the podium with the national anthem playing in the background.
Did she ever think she would strike gold at the continental meet?
“Never,” said Pereira, who did not make the final of the 2019 edition where she finished 11th in the semi-finals.
“Just to think 2019 I didn’t even make the final and that was a celebration for me to already make the semis but then now, I can’t even describe it.
“I’m not done yet with my season but we’ve hit a lot of goals that we thought were crazy before so I’m just thankful for everything, thankful for the whole process and everything that has come along with it.”
But there will not be time for celebrations for Pereira, whose next race begins on Saturday when the 200m heats and semi-finals will take place, before the final on Sunday.
She owns this season’s fastest 200m time in Asia. Her national record of 22.69sec is 0.21sec faster than the No. 2 time held by Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser.
Anticipating a packed schedule, coach Luis Cunha already had Pereira’s pre-packed dinner with him while waiting for the medal ceremony, as they wanted to make sure no time was wasted in case she also had to go for anti-doping tests.
During her Europe training stint in May and June, they had prepared her for a busy programme by making her compete in back-to-back competitions or take on multiple races in a day.
Cunha said: “We are very happy because the goal was achieved... Not only did she win, but she also did it with a time that was world class.
“She was able to deliver at the right time... A lot of people can be inspired by her results – that’s pretty much her goals, to inspire people, to inspire young athletes.”
Pereira’s dad Clarence and mum Jeet were also part of the vocal Singapore support in the stands.
Clarence said: “Based on her time, we know if she can perform she can do it, that’s all we hope for. At this level, it’s hard. She went through the SEA Games, now it’s the Asian level and we’re hoping for the Asian Games.”
