Singapore's Shanti Pereira wins historic 200m Asian Games gold
This is Shanti Pereira's second medal at the Asian Games after taking silver in the 100m.
Singapore sprinter Shanti Pereira storms to the finish line in the 200m final at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China on Oct 2, 2023Singapore sprinter Shanti Pereira celebrating her 200m win at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China on Oct 2, 2023. (Photo: SportSG/Bryan Foo)
HANGZHOU, China: As Singapore held its breath in expectation, its sprint queen delivered jubilation.
At the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium on Monday (Oct 2), Shanti Pereira clocked 23.03s to win the women’s 200m final at the Asian Games.
China's Li Yuting took the silver with 23.28s and Bahrain's Edidiong Ofonime Odiong came third at 23.48s. Odiong's compatriot, Salwa Eid Naser, was disqualified for a false start.
This was Singapore’s first athletics gold medal since 1974, when Chee Swee Lee won the women’s 400m.
Draped in a Singapore flag, the 27-year-old crouched down on the track and covered her face with her hand, before raising her arms aloft in victory.
On Saturday, Pereira ended her country's nearly 50-year wait for a track and field medal at the Asian Games, after she clinched a silver in the women’s 100m.
Pereira, whose 200m personal best stands at 22.57s, then topped all three heats for the event the next day, with a time of 23.14s.
This was her first Asian Games 200m final. At the last edition in 2018, she did not advance past the semi-finals.
