PEREIRA HONOURED TO ‘PUT SINGAPORE ON MAP’
City state’s injury-hit sprint star is determined not to be remembered for her struggles in the French capital, as she sets sights on Los Angeles 2028
Leading Asian sprinter Shanti Pereira said her Olympic Games disappointment would not “define who I am and what I am capable of”.
Singaporean Pereira ran 23.45 seconds, a long way off her personal best of 22.57, to finish last in her 200 metres repechage race yesterday.
The 27-year-old, who was eliminated in round one of the 100m last week, said a fibula injury sustained in April left her needing to “bounce back from the bottom” to compete in Paris.
Pereira vowed she would fight on until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and called for a more condensed Asian racing calendar to help the continent’s sprinters catch up with their counterparts from around the world.
The Asian Games 200m champion, Pereira was the first athlete from Singapore to qualify for the Olympic 200m by right.
“It meant a lot [to earn qualification], which was why I was pushing for a better result,” Pereira said.
“I felt like I put Singapore on the map. People maybe didn’t know much about Singapore, or even where it is, but I hope they have taken notice. It is a huge honour to do that for my city.
“But I am really sad about my race. This was not what I wanted to do in Paris … not just today, but my 200 heat [where she was last on Sunday] and the 100. I wish it was better, but … I have to move forward.”
Pereira ran her career-best 22.57, which was bang on the Olympic qualifying standard, to reach the semis of last year’s world championships in Budapest. She went on to claim 200m gold and 100m silver at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Pereira’s Paris preparations were rocked, however, when she began experiencing pain in her right calf during a Florida training camp this year. She was eventually diagnosed with a stress injury in her fibula, which left her scrambling to get ready for Paris
“Physically, I had to let the injury heal, I couldn’t have any impact on the ground for six to eight weeks, which set me back,” said Pereira, who went to the Tokyo Olympics, where she was sixth in her 200m heat, on a universality invite.
“Mentally, after such a good year [2023], to have that momentum broken [was hard] … I had to bounce back from being at the bottom and try to recover the same mindset and fitness levels I had last year.
“It was a process I had to go through in a short period of time and it took a lot. This race will not define who I am and what I’m capable of. I am pain free now, I need more time, training and competition, then I will be back.”
Pereira said she “knows” she is the same athlete who performed so strongly 12 months ago, and revealed Los Angeles in four years is “my goal”.
It was reflective of Asia’s sprinting woes that none of the 48 women’s 100m and 200m semifinalists came from the continent. Only two of the 24 men’s 100m semi-finalists, Puripol Boonson of Thailand, and Japan’s Abdul Hakim Sani Brown, whose father is Ghanaian, were Asian.
Pereira said it was possible for Asia to make up ground on global rivals, but only if various changes were implemented.
“The first thing is, we have competitions throughout the year, it is not a summer timetable as in other parts of the world,” she said. “That plays an important role, because [if the schedule is more concentrated], you know when you have to be in top form, and don’t spend the whole year in season. It is a big thing heading into major Games every year.”
This race will not define who I am and what I’m capable of ... I will be back
SHANTI PEREIRA