SINGAPORE – Just a day after setting the national 100m mark in the heats of the Australian Open Track and Field Championships in Brisbane, Singapore sprinter Shanti Pereira did it again in the final on Saturday. 

The 26-year-old clocked 11.37 seconds to win the event and lower her record by 0.01sec. Australia’s Torrie Lewis and Bree Masters finished 0.01sec and 0.04sec behind respectively.

This was also the third time Pereira had bettered the national 100m record within a month after clocking 11.46sec at the New Zealand Track and Field Championships in Wellington on March 3. That effort saw her become the first Singaporean to top World Athletics’ women’s 100m outdoor rankings in Asia.

She told The Sunday Times she did not expect another record on Saturday as she ran against a headwind of 0.4 metres per second, a change from the tailwind the previous day.

Pereira added: “I was definitely aiming for a podium finish so I’m extremely happy to have come out of it with a gold.”

Earlier on Saturday, she came in first in her semi-final in 11.58sec. 

She said: “It just feels good to get in some really good races this month as I start my season.

“I’m super excited for the rest of it.”

Her coach Luis Cunha said the Australian competition acted as a rehearsal for upcoming major competitions such as the May 5-17 SEA Games in Cambodia.

He said: “For the final, we wanted her to try something different in terms of race execution and to enjoy this competition, where there was no pressure for her – just enjoyment.

“She thought it was possible to fight for medals – there were at least three girls faster than her very recently, but my expectation was she could fight for the victory.

“The result was very tight, but the outcome was perfect.”

Next up for Pereira is her pet event, the 200m. She will be competing in the 200m heats at the Australian Open on Sunday, just a week after breaking the national record with a 23.16sec effort at the Brisbane Track Classic.

After her stint in Australia and New Zealand, she will return home to compete in the April 26-28 Singapore Open Track and Field Championships, before the SEA Games, where she will be defending her 200m title.

Over in Wan Chai, Singapore hurdler Ang Chen Xiang also set a national record. He clocked 13.90sec en route to winning the men’s 110m hurdles at the Hong Kong Athletics Series 3 competition, 0.16sec and 0.19sec ahead of locals Lee Ka Yiu and Mui Ching Yeung respectively.

The 28-year-old eclipsed his previous national mark of 13.94sec, which earned him a silver medal at the Hanoi SEA Games in 2022.