SEA Games 2023: Shanti Pereira wins 200m gold in Cambodia for third title
PHNOM PENH – There were no tears this time, only a hug with teammate Elizabeth-Ann Tan before Shanti Pereira strolled coolly to the media mixed zone at the Morodok Techo National Stadium, just minutes after winning her third SEA Games gold.
And what a difference it was from just a year ago, when the sprinter burst into tears after winning the 200m gold at the Hanoi Games. The video of her in disbelief saying, “Real, right? This is real? Oh my God”, went viral.
If Hanoi was a shock, the victory in Phnom Penh was a mere formality.
The 26-year-old blazed lane six in 22.69 seconds to win the women’s 200m final and capture her third SEA Games title. In doing so, she also obliterated Kristina Knott’s Games record of 23.01sec and bettered her previous national mark of 22.89sec.
Vietnam’s Thi Nhi Yen Tran won the silver in 23.54sec and Malaysia’s Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli (23.60) took the bronze. Knott, the 2019 champion, was fourth in 23.79. Tan finished fifth out of eight with a time of 24.03sec – a new personal best.
Pereira said: “This feels so different (compared to Hanoi). I went into the Games really pumped off the season I’ve had. I was excited to compete at the SEA Games again. I knew I had fierce competitors so I really had to get my game on. I’m just really happy.”
She added:“No tears this time but maybe later, I don’t know.”
With no results displayed on the jumbotron at the National Stadium, no one there was aware of the race timings until much later. There was no doubt though, that Pereira was a class above the rest – her time was just 0.12sec off the 2024 Olympics qualifying mark.
This is Pereira’s first successful defence of her Games title, adding to the 200m gold medals she won on home soil in 2015 and seven years later in Hanoi. This is also the third time that she has bettered her own 200m national mark in 2023, while she has also rewritten her 100m national record thrice this year.
The Philippines’ Kayla Richardson, who was expected to be Pereira’s closest challenger in Cambodia after winning bronze in the 200m and 100m gold in 2022, pulled up halfway through Heat 1 earlier on Monday and did not finish the race. It remains to be seen if the Filipina will contest the 100m on Friday.
Up next for Pereira will be the 4x100m relay before a bigger test awaits on Friday, where she will be gunning for an unprecedented sprint double. She has three bronze medals and one silver, but has yet to taste a win in the 100m at the biennial meet.
Only once have Singaporean women ever completed a sprint double. In 1973, Glory Barnabas won the 200m while Eng Chiaw Guay won the 100m.
For now, the focus is on recovery. Pereira said: “Now I need to recover completely because it’s so hot. I need to get ice all over my body for the next few days. I have the relay on Wednesday so it’s full round recovery till Friday.”
In the men’s event, Thailand’s teen sensation Puripol Boonson’s 200m title defence ended in heartbreak after he pulled up injured midway through the final. His compatriot Soraoat Dapbang took gold in 20.62sec, ahead of Vietnam’s Ngan Ngoc Nghia (20.84) and Indonesia’s Lalu Muhammad Zohri (21.02). Singapore’s Mark Lee was fifth in 21.48.
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