'Embracing the pressure': Singapore's Shanti Pereira confident and ready for Asian Games, says coach
Pereira is the reigning Asian Games champion in the women's 200m.
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SINGAPORE: Three years after her historic 200m Asian Games gold, Singapore sprinter Shanti Pereira is no longer the one doing the hunting – this time around, she will be the hunted.
But her long-time coach Luis Cunha told CNA that the 29-year-old is ready, adding that the goal is for Pereira to fight for medals at the upcoming Asian Games from Sep 19 to Oct 4.
“The idea for this season was to prepare for the Asian Games. We didn’t start the way we expected because she had a small injury,” he added.
“But the idea was … to be one week from (the competition) with the feeling that she can fight for medals.”
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Pereira has been in fine form recently.
Last month, she made history by becoming the first Singaporean to qualify for an individual sprint final at the Commonwealth Games. She timed a season-best of 22.81s in the 200m semi-finals before finishing eighth in the final.
Pereira also qualified for the 100m semi-finals at the Glasgow Games with a time of 11.24s, her fastest of the season. The Singaporean was just 0.04 seconds off her national mark of 11.20s, set at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships.
After the Commonwealth Games, Pereira has raced at meets in the UK, Poland and Oman. She finished on the podium at all three meets in the 200m, setting a new season’s best of 22.78s in Oman.
“She’s healthy, she's confident, mainly because of the results of the competitions. Let's hope that she enjoys this last part of the journey,” said Cunha, who added that Pereira has "something more in the tank" to go under 22.78s.
“She wants to win the 200m (at the Asian Games), of course. She wants to give joy to Singaporeans.”
Pereira is set to face stiff competition at the Games. In the 100m, four Asian women have clocked faster times than the Singaporean this year. This includes 17-year-old Chinese sprinter Chen Yujie, who timed 11.08s last month.
In the 200m, Pereira's 22.78s is the best time in Asia this year, with Japan's Abigeirufuka Ido clocking 22.81s last month, and Chen timing 22.84s.
But it is not all about the numbers and anything can happen, said Cunha. He pointed out how Pereira recently beat Dominican Republic's Liranyi Alonso, a sprinter who has a faster personal best than her.
"Nothing is guaranteed," said Cunha, who has worked with the sprinter since 2020.
"HUNGRY TO EARN MORE"
2023 was a breakthrough year for Pereira. She became the first Singaporean woman to win both the 100m and 200m events at the same edition of the SEA Games; and she followed that up with a sprint double at the Asian Athletics Championships in July.
While she entered the Asian Games that year in good form, there was less weight on her shoulders. No Singaporean had won an athletics gold since 1974, and expectations were different.
“It's easier for an athlete to be an underdog, and in 2023 she was the underdog,” said Cunha.
In Hangzhou, Pereira delivered, storming to victory in the 200m and clinching silver in the 100m.
But the hard part comes after the win, added the Portuguese coach, a former sprinter who competed at the 1988, 1992 and 1996 Olympics.
“I remember in my case, my last five or six years, I was trying to not to lose. And then I realised, you don’t enjoy your journey when you have this kind of approach - (when you) want to not lose instead of wanting to win,” he said.
In the case of Pereira, she is at the stage where she is “hungry to earn more things”, Cunha said. “She's embracing the pressure, and she wants this pressure," he added.
Pereira is now a more mature athlete and realises the impact she can have on the public, said her coach.
"She's different, but in a good way. She lives with this extra attention in a very positive way," said Cunha. "She's really an example of winning well, that's pretty much what we want to expect from a champion."
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