It was my day: Shanti Pereira celebrates after winning 200m gold at the Asian Games

Published Sep 27, 2026, 06:26 PM

Updated Sep 28, 2026, 12:30 AM

NAGOYA – Adrenaline coursing through her veins, Shanti Pereira thumped the Singapore flag on her chest and let out a celebratory scream after she crossed the line first at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium on Sept 27.

The joy and top-of-the-world confidence she felt in that moment was undeniable, as the 30-year-old became the first woman to win back-to-back 200m gold at the Asian Games.

It did not feel that way on the morning of Sept 27, as the sprinter was feeling the effects of her previous races – the 100m heats, semi-finals and final, and the 200m heats.

Even as the rain pelted down in the final, her belief could not be dampened in the race of her lifetime, as Pereira stormed to victory in a season’s best 22.78sec.

While China’s Chen Yujie was quickest off the blocks in 0.15sec, the Singaporean powered past her teenage rival in the final stretch to finish first.

Shanti Pereira cemented her place in history as the first woman to win back-to-back 200m titles at the Asian Games. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

Shanti Pereira cemented her place in history as the first woman to win back-to-back 200m titles at the Asian Games.

Chen, who beat her to the 100m gold on Sept 25 in a Games record time, had to settle for the silver after clocking 22.93sec, while India’s Harita Bhadra took the bronze in 23.20.

Taking a few seconds to compose herself in the mixed zone, an emotional Pereira said: “I knew coming into today that it was my day and nothing in the world was going to stop me from getting it.

“I’ve worked so hard for this, I really believed. I’m so exhausted from all my races and I honestly haven’t been sleeping very well, probably from anxiety and just nerves.

“But I knew the mind was a powerful thing and if I believed and just let my body flow, I could bring it back home to Singapore.”

She was so confident that she told her coach Luis Cunha , who usually watches her races from the warm-up track, to catch the final in the stadium, telling him “I want you to witness something special”.

At the 2023 edition in Hangzhou, she won the 100m silver and 200m gold , ending a 49-year drought for Singapore at the quadrennial event.

On Sept 27, she knew she had a shot at doing what no other female sprinter had done, but that it would be no easy feat.

Much can change between Games – new competitors emerge, form fluctuates and injuries happen – all things that Pereira is familiar with.

Following a breakout 2023, a stress injury to her right fibula made the next year challenging , before she worked her way back to the top.

Ahead of her final, she drew inspiration from Singapore swimmer Gan Ching Hwee’s words.

After winning the 400m freestyle silver on Sept 22 , Gan had said “If I have a lane, I have a chance”.

Pereira said: “Here at these Games, so many defending champions didn’t have a chance to try and defend their title but here I am with that chance.

“I had lane 7 and I was so thankful for that. I was healthy and I may be so tired from my races but I’m good so I let my mind take over.”

It was also the perfect belated birthday celebration for Pereira, who turned 30 on Sept 20. Her fiance Tan Zong Yang , a former national sprinter, and her friends had thrown her a surprise birthday party a month ago.

But in the days leading up to the Asiad, she was so focused on the competition that she did not realise her birthday was approaching until Tan mentioned it the day before.

With her mission complete, a teary-eyed Pereira said she had done her younger self proud.

The six-gold SEA Games medallist said: “She wouldn’t even believe the kind of person she grew into.

“She used to be so scared of everything, scared of her competitors and I really let the pressure get to me last time.

“It took a lot to get here and a lot of help from so many people – all of my close friends, family and my coach.”

Shanti Pereira after winning the women’s 200m final at the Asian Games on Sept 27. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

Shanti Pereira after winning the women’s 200m final at the Asian Games on Sept 27.

ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

Cunha has been an influential figure in Pereira’s rise and the pair shared a hug in the mixed zone later.

“As a coach, I see myself as a lighthouse, someone who guides the athletes so I’m very satisfied that I’m on this process of helping her and she’s in a position where she can really touch the hearts of so many people in Singapore,” said Cunha.

“She doesn’t run just for herself, she feels that when she runs and when she’s healthy and in top shape, she can really do something.”

The women’s 4x100m relay quartet of Pereira, Amanda Loo, Elizabeth-Ann Tan and Kerstin Ong later clocked a season’s best 45.12sec to place fourth in Heat 1 and ninth out of 10 overall.

(From right) Shanti Pereira also took part in the women’s 4x100m relay with Amanda Loo, Kerstin Ong and Elizabeth-Ann Tan, with the quartet clocking a season’s best 45.12sec to place fourth in heat 1 and ninth out of 10 overall. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

(From right) Shanti Pereira also took part in the women’s 4x100m relay with Amanda Loo, Kerstin Ong and Elizabeth-Ann Tan, with the quartet clocking a season’s best 45.12sec to place fourth in heat 1 and ninth out of 10 overall.

The men’s 4x100m relay team comprising Ian Gan, Xander Ho, Mark Lee and Tate Tan advanced to the final on Sept 28, after posting a season’s best 39.34sec to come in fifth in heat 2 and eighth overall.

In the men’s high jump final, Singapore’s Kampton Kam was eighth out of 13 competitors after clearing 2.10m, with Taiwanese Fu Chao-hsuan clinching gold with a season’s best 2.25m.

Kampton Kam was eighth out of 13 competitors after clearing 2.10m in the men’s high jump final. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

Kampton Kam was eighth out of 13 competitors after clearing 2.10m in the men’s high jump final.

Ang Chen Xiang was seventh in the men’s 110m hurdles with a 13.90sec effort, 0.75sec behind China’s gold medallist Chen Yuanjiang.

Ang Chen Xiang (left) was seventh in the men’s 110m hurdles with a 13.90sec effort. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

Ang Chen Xiang (left) was seventh in the men’s 110m hurdles with a 13.90sec effort.

Thiruben Thana Rajan was sixth in heat 3 of the men’s 800m after clocking 1min 55.76sec and finished the heats 19th overall.

Thiruben Thana Rajan was sixth in heat 3 of the men’s 800m after clocking 1min 55.76sec and finished the heats 19th overall. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

It was double joy for South-east Asia on Sept 27, when Thailand’s Puripol Boonson completed the sprint double, equalling Chinese athlete Xie Zhenye’s Asian record of 19.88sec to win the men’s 200m.

China’s Huang Youwen was second in 20.45sec, while Japan’s Soshi Mizukubo was third in 20.56sec.

The women’s long jump was won by Chinese Huang Yingying in 6.55m, while compatriot Yan Ziyi outperformed Japan’s reigning Olympic champion Haruka Kitaguchi in the women’s javelin throw to claim gold in a Games record 70.46m.

Japan’s Mako Fukube took the women’s 100m hurdles crown in 12.74sec.

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Kimberly Kwek joined The Straits Times in 2019 as a sports journalist and has since covered a wide array of sports, including golf and sailing.

发布于 2026 年 9 月 27 日下午 6:26

更新于2026年9月28日凌晨12:30

名古屋——9月27日，在帕洛玛瑞穗体育场，香蒂·佩雷拉（Shanti Pereira）第一个冲过终点线后，肾上腺素飙升，她将新加坡国旗拍在胸前，发出了一声庆祝的尖叫。

那一刻，她感受到的喜悦和无比的自信是毋庸置疑的，这位30岁的选手成为亚运会历史上第一位连续两届获得女子200米金牌的选手。

9 月 27 日早上，这位短跑运动员并没有这种感觉，因为她感受到了之前比赛的影响——100 米预赛、半决赛和决赛，以及 200 米预赛。

即使在决赛中大雨倾盆，佩雷拉在她一生中最重要的一场比赛中，她的信念也丝毫没有动摇，她以赛季最佳成绩 22.78 秒强势夺冠。

中国选手陈雨洁起跑速度最快，仅用时0.15秒，但新加坡选手在最后冲刺阶段超越了这位十几岁的对手，最终获得第一名。

珊蒂·佩雷拉巩固了她在历史上的地位，成为首位在亚运会上蝉联女子200米冠军的选手。ST PHOTO：KEVIN LIM

珊蒂·佩雷拉巩固了她在历史上的地位，成为首位在亚运会上连续两次获得女子200米冠军的选手。

陈巍在9月25日以打破赛会纪录的成绩夺得女子100米金牌，但在女子100米比赛中，她以22.93秒的成绩获得银牌，而印度选手哈里塔·巴德拉以23.20秒的成绩获得铜牌。

佩雷拉在混合采访区花了几秒钟平复心情，情绪激动地说：“我知道今天是我的幸运日，世界上没有任何东西能阻止我赢得冠军。”

“我为此付出了很多努力，我真的相信自己能做到。我因为参加了很多比赛而筋疲力尽，老实说，我最近睡眠也不太好，可能是因为焦虑和紧张吧。”

“但我知道精神的力量非常强大，如果我相信，并且让我的身体自由发挥，我就能把它带回新加坡。”

她非常自信，告诉她的教练路易斯·库尼亚（Luis Cunha，他通常在热身跑道上观看她的比赛），让他到体育场观看决赛，并告诉他“我想让你见证一些特别的事情”。

在2023年杭州奥运会上，她获得了100米银牌和200米金牌，结束了新加坡在该四年一度的赛事中长达49年的冠军荒。

9月27日，她知道自己有机会做到其他女短跑运动员从未做到过的事情，但这绝非易事。

奥运会期间可能会发生很多变化——新的竞争者涌现，状态起伏不定，伤病也会发生——所有这些佩雷拉都很熟悉。

在经历了 2023 年的突破之后，她的右腓骨应力性损伤使接下来的一年充满挑战，之后她努力重返巅峰。

在决赛前，她从新加坡游泳运动员颜清辉的话中汲取了灵感。

9月22日获得400米自由泳银牌后，甘胜宇曾表示：“只要给我一条泳道，我就有机会。”

佩雷拉说：“在本届奥运会上，很多卫冕冠军都没有机会尝试卫冕，但我却有了这个机会。”

“我被分到了第7道，对此我非常感激。我的身体状况很好，虽然比赛让我很疲惫，但我感觉很好，所以我让思绪自由驰骋。”

对于9月20日刚满30岁的佩雷拉来说，这也是一场完美的迟到的生日庆祝活动。一个月前，她的未婚夫、前国家短跑运动员谭宗阳和朋友们为她举办了一场惊喜生日派对。

但在亚运会开赛前的几天里，她一心专注于比赛，直到谭在前一天提起，她才意识到自己的生日快到了。

任务完成后，眼含热泪的佩雷拉说，她让年轻时的自己感到骄傲。

这位获得六枚东南亚运动会金牌的运动员说：“她自己都不敢相信她会成长为怎样的人。”

“她以前总是害怕一切，害怕她的竞争对手，而我上次真的被压力压垮了。”

“走到今天这一步，我付出了很多努力，也得到了很多人的帮助——我的所有亲朋好友和我的教练。”

9月27日，珊蒂·佩雷拉在亚运会女子200米决赛中夺冠。（海峡时报摄影：张马克）

9月27日，珊蒂·佩雷拉在亚运会女子200米决赛中夺冠。

《海峡时报》照片：张马克

库尼亚对佩雷拉的崛起起到了至关重要的作用，两人随后在混合采访区拥抱致意。

“作为一名教练，我把自己看作一座灯塔，一个指引运动员的人，所以我非常满意能够帮助她，而她现在所处的位置，让她能够真正触动新加坡许多人的心，”库尼亚说道。

“她跑步不只是为了自己，她觉得当她跑步，当她身体健康、状态最佳的时候，她真的可以成就一番事业。”

佩雷拉、阿曼达·卢、伊丽莎白·安·谭和克斯汀·翁组成的女子 4x100 米接力队后来跑出了赛季最佳成绩 45.12 秒，在第一组比赛中获得第四名，在 10 支队伍中排名第九。

（从右至左）珊蒂·佩雷拉也参加了女子4x100米接力赛，与她搭档的还有阿曼达·卢、克斯汀·翁和伊丽莎白·安·谭。这四位选手跑出了赛季最佳成绩45.12秒，在第一组预赛中排名第四，总排名第九（共十支队伍）。（海峡时报摄影：马克·张）

（从右至左）Shanti Pereira 还与 Amanda Loo、Kerstin Ong 和 Elizabeth-Ann Tan 一起参加了女子 4x100 米接力赛，四人以 45.12 秒的赛季最佳成绩在第一组中获得第四名，在 10 支队伍中排名第九。

由 Ian Gan、Xander Ho、Mark Lee 和 Tate Tan 组成的男子 4x100 米接力队在 9 月 28 日晋级决赛，他们在第二组比赛中跑出了赛季最佳成绩 39.34 秒，排名第五，总排名第八。

在男子跳高决赛中，新加坡选手甘普顿跳过了 2.10 米，在 13 名参赛选手中排名第八，而台湾选手傅朝轩以赛季最佳成绩 2.25 米夺得金牌。

坎普顿·卡姆在男子跳高决赛中跳过2.10米，在13名参赛选手中排名第八。（海峡时报照片：凯文·林）

坎普顿·卡姆在男子跳高决赛中跳过 2.10 米，在 13 名参赛选手中排名第八。

昂陈翔在男子110米栏比赛中以13.90秒的成绩获得第七名，比中国金牌得主陈元江慢了0.75秒。

昂振祥（左）在男子110米栏比赛中以13.90秒的成绩获得第七名。（海峡时报摄影：张马克）

昂陈翔（左）在男子110米栏比赛中以13.90秒的成绩获得第七名。

蒂鲁本·塔纳·拉詹在男子 800 米第三组预赛中以 1 分 55.76 秒的成绩获得第六名，并在预赛中总排名第 19 位。

蒂鲁本·塔纳·拉詹在男子800米第三组预赛中以1分55.76秒的成绩位列第六，总成绩排名第19。照片由《海峡时报》凯文·林拍摄

9 月 27 日，东南亚迎来双喜临门，泰国选手普里蓬·汶森 (Puripol Boonson) 完成了短跑双冠，以 19.88 秒的成绩追平了中国选手谢振业 (Xie Zhenye) 保持的亚洲纪录，赢得了男子 200 米比赛的冠军。

中国选手黄有文以 20.45 秒的成绩获得第二名，日本选手水久保宗司以 20.56 秒的成绩获得第三名。

中国选手黄莹莹以6.55米的成绩赢得女子跳远冠军，而她的队友闫梓怡在女子标枪比赛中击败了日本卫冕奥运冠军北口遥，以70.46米的成绩打破赛会纪录，夺得金牌。

日本选手福部真子以12.74秒的成绩夺得女子100米栏冠军。

通过《海峡时报》的每周新闻简报，深入了解新加坡的所有体育赛事和趋势。

金伯利·郭于 2019 年加入《海峡时报》担任体育记者，此后报道了包括高尔夫和帆船在内的各种体育项目。