'A very pleasant surprise': Singapore sprinter Shanti Pereira breaks her own 100m national record
Singapore sprinter Shanti Pereira competes in the women's 200m semi-final at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, on Aug 5, 2022. (Photo: Andy Chua/Commonwealth Games Singapore)
SINGAPORE: Seven months after she rewrote her own 100m national record, Shanti Pereira did it again at the New Zealand Track and Field Championships in Wellington on Friday (Mar 3).
Remarkably, Pereira managed the feat this time around without having raced in a competitive meet since the 2022 Commonwealth Games in August.
The 26-year-old clocked a time of 11.46s in her heats, eclipsing her previous national record by 0.02s.
Speaking to CNA, Pereira described the achievement as a "very pleasant surprise".
"This morning I felt good and just wanted to execute my race plan as best as I could, because this is my first race (of the year) so I'm a bit rusty in terms of racing because it has been so long," she said.
"I wanted to go out strong and just focus on the technical aspects of it."
Shanti would go on to clock 11.44s in the final, but it was not registered as a national mark due to a tailwind of 3.4m/s. Only results from races with a tailwind of less than 2.0m/s are considered legal for record purposes.
New Zealand’s Zoe Hobbs finished first with a time of 10.89s, and compatriot Rose Elliott took second (11.36s).
Last November, it was announced that Pereira would be joining the Sports Excellence Scholarship programme, which supports athletes headed to major Games. She has been training full-time since January.
"I just really enjoy what it is I'm doing, I'm glad I have the opportunity to train full-time - that is what I have been wanting for a really long time," she said.
"After the race, my coach (Luis Cunha) and I agreed that this is not the fastest I'm going to be this year, next year or whatever it is. We're working towards better timings in both the 100m and 200m."
Pereira enjoyed a stellar 2022 when she won gold and set a national record in the 200m at the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam. She also clinched a silver in the 100m.
Pereira would go on to lower that 200m record once more at the Commonwealth Games.
She is currently taking part in a month-long training camp in New Zealand and is scheduled to compete next at the Sydney Track Classic on Mar 11. Pereira will also be looking to defend her 200m crown at the SEA Games in May and compete at the Asian Athletics Championships, the World Athletics Championships and Asian Games.
"I'm excited to see where the season takes me, and hopefully get faster," she said.
