Singapore's Shanti Pereira wins 100m silver at the Asian Athletics Championships
At the Gumi Civic Stadium in South Korea, the 28-year-old clocked 11.41sec, just behind gold medallist Liang Xiaojing (11.37) of China. Tran Thi Nhi Yen of Vietnam claimed the bronze in 11.54.
Defending champion Pereira was second-quickest in qualifying, clocking a season's best 11.40sec in the heats in a field of 21 sprinters. Liang topped the group in 11.22, while Japan's Aiha Yamagata (11.53) was third.
As Pereira had expected, she got off to a slower start, but the 28-year-old felt she executed a strong race overall, finishing just 0.04sec behind Liang - who was a 60m world indoor championships finalist in March.
Pereira added: "Proud of another milestone in my ability to compete at Asia's highest levels, delivering clutch performances in major competitions.
"Satisfied to be able to continue to inspire Singaporean sportspeople and elevate Singapore's profile in Asian athletics."
While she missed out on the gold, coach Luis Cunha noted that Pereira performed well.
The Portuguese said: "Everything we did this season was to prepare for this competition. This is our first major competition, so everything is good. She's healthy, she's in shape and she did a good race.
"This time, it was not enough to cross the finish line first, but everything was according to the plan and we cannot ask for more."
Singapore Athletics president Lien Choong Luen added: "It was a very tight race today against very strong competition and Shanti was closing very strongly at the end.
"Her season has been going well with overseas training and races in Nea Zealand and Japan, as well as her great run at the Singapore Open last month. Looking forward to her upcoming 200m races."
The Asian Athletics Championships have previously been a happy hunting ground for Pereira, who claimed the historic 100m and 200m sprint double at the 2023 edition in Thailand after clocking 11.20sec and 22.70 respectively. She went on to clinch a gold and silver (200m, 100m) at the Asian Games two months later.
Comparing her race to her gold-medal run two years ago, Cunha added: "The time was different, but the conditions were also different. So second place, behind the Chinese girl that is one of the best athletes in the world, is a very good result."
This is Pereira's ninth event of the 2025 season, which began in February when she clocked 11.68sec in the 100m at the International Track Meet in Christchurch, New Zealand.
She added that she is highly motivated for her pet event, the 200m, with the heats taking place on May 30.
In other results, Singapore's Marc Louis did not qualify for the men's 100m final after finishing joint-14th out of 22 runners in the semi-finals.
He clocked 10.52sec, 0.10sec behind the last qualifiers for the final - China's Wang Shengjie and Oman's Malham Al Balushi.
Teammate Ang Chen Xiang missed out on the semi-finals of the men's 110m hurdles, clocking 13.87sec to finish fifth in his preliminary heat.
The men's 100m final on May 28 came down to the wire, with Japan's Hiroki Yanagita clinching gold in a photo finish.
He won in 10.194sec, ahead of Thailand's Puripol Boonson (10.196), while Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Abdullah Abkar (10.296) edged out Al Balushi (10.299) for the bronze.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Independent Singapore
19 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
Singapore is set and ready for AFC Under-20 Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers
Photo: Freepik The Singapore Under-19 Women's National Team is now ready to compete in the AFC Under-20 Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers, scheduled for August 6 to 11, 2025. The national team is in Group B, where the girls will battle against Vietnam, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Hong Kong, China, in the qualifying matches to be held in Hanoi, Vietnam. As part of their preparations, they are at a training camp in Malaysia until July 31. This experience will play an important part in the team's improvement as they intensively train together for the tournament. Several athletes have been training ahead of time, and the initial outcomes are encouraging. Head coach Fazrul Nawaz said: 'I'm really looking forward to the chemistry that naturally builds when players spend extended time together… It's not just about football – we get to build trust, challenge each other, and create a shared identity. 'I've been encouraged by the energy and focus in the early sessions. Tactically, there's a willingness to adapt and take in information quickly, which is vital at this level. But beyond that, it's the spirit – the way they push each other, the communication, the way they celebrate small wins.' The coaching team is doing its best to improve how it handles the squad. They are now concentrating not only on the strategic preparations of the players but also on developing their mindset and instilling the standards needed to compete at this level. Coach Fazrul declared: 'You can sense their hunger and a growing belief, and that's a great starting point… This group has potential, and the goal is to translate that potential into consistent performances.' 'For the girls, I want them to gain confidence, take ownership of their roles, and show that they can compete.' On social media, Seri Nurinsyirah, the defender of the Singapore team, said: 'I feel very honoured, because I got called up at a very young age (16 years old), so it's such a good experience to play at this level, and I can learn from there.' 'I feel very excited, at the same time nervous, because Asian opponents tend to be stronger, and very competitive, so it will be a good game for us,' she added. View this post on Instagram A post shared by FAS (@fasingapore) Now, Fazrul aims to finish the tournament with a team that is more united, more disciplined, and more self-assured. He said: 'If we come out of it fitter, sharper, tighter as a unit, and hungry to compete, I'd consider that a success.' () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });

Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
‘We can match Malaysia or do even better', say Singapore's divers
Singapore's Fong Kay Yian (top) and Ashlee Tan competing in the 2019 SEA Games women's 3m synchronised final where they claimed silver behind Malaysia. SINGAPORE – In a sport that has little margin for error, where any mis-step is magnified in the form of a big splash, it is no surprise that national diver Ashlee Tan is a doctor. Currently serving her housemanship at Ng Teng Fong Hospital, the 25-year-old sees similarities between her career and her sport. She told The Straits Times: 'Both medicine and diving have a lot of technical aspects about them and I have to pay attention to the technical details in each field. 'Also, I have to be very disciplined to juggle training, studying and work.' Each work day, she wakes up at 5.45am, begins her shift at the hospital at 6.30am and rushes to training from 5.30pm to 8.30pm, before going to bed at 10.30pm. The daily grind is exhausting, but Tan persists because of her love for the sport. The former primary school gymnast first tried diving at age 11 and was hooked. She said: 'People ask why am I still doing this given my schedule, because most people just want to go home and chill after a long day of work. 'But I really enjoy the feeling of flipping in the air and the sensation of a clean entry into the water. Besides that, I also have a strong desire to perfect my dives and succeed in competitions, which pushes me to go for training even after work.' While Singapore has a storied history in swimming, it was not the case for diving – the discipline was only revived after the Republic hosted the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010. The dormant diving programme was restarted and in 2013, Singapore returned to the SEA Games podium after a 30-year-wait. As the world's top diving nations try to close the gap on the all-conquering China, Singapore's divers are also trying to play catch-up in the region with their Malaysian counterparts. Springboard diver Tan has witnessed the progress first-hand in her decade as a national athlete. She said: 'Malaysia has always churned out Olympic and world championship medallists, so the disparity between us and them was very big at the start. 'But increasingly, we feel that whatever they can do, we can match or even do better.' She pointed to recent results to back up her point. In 2017, Fong Kay Yian and Tan combined to win the SEA Games women's 3m synchronised springboard gold for Singapore's first diving gold at the regional meet in 44 years. Platform divers Jonathan Chan and Freida Lim also became the first Singaporean divers to qualify for the Olympics when they made it to Tokyo 2020. At the South-east Asian Age Group Championships in June, Singapore managed to win eight out of the 23 events. National diving coach Charlie Tu said: 'We believe our divers have strong long-term potential at the South-east Asian level. With continued investment in quality coaching, sports science, and competition exposure, they are well positioned to not only remain competitive but to also contend for podium finishes consistently in future SEA Games and regional events.' With Chan and Lim now retired, there is a new wave of divers such as 17-year-old Max Lee and Ainslee Kwang, 14, who are part of Singapore's nine-athlete WCH roster. The squad has an average age of just under 20. Max, a platform diver who will add springboard events to his repertoire for the first time in his third WCH, said: 'These world championships are a great opportunity for me to step out of my comfort zone, try something new, and challenge myself across different events. Each event requires a slightly different mindset and skill set, so I'm really enjoying the process of adapting and learning. 'I'm mainly focused on delivering a consistent and confident performance, and staying mentally strong. I want to do my best and put on a solid showing, grow from the experience and build toward my longer-term goals, which include qualifying for the 2028 Olympics.' To prepare for the WCH, the national divers participated in a training camp in China, and they have also been focusing on refining technical consistency, improving execution under pressure with match-day simulation, and building physical conditioning. While Singapore is not expected to win medals, Tu said: 'Our main goal is for our divers to gain valuable international experience and measure themselves against the world's best. 'While we do hope for strong individual performances and personal bests, our focus remains on long-term development. Reaching finals or semifinals would be a great achievement, but consistency and learning are the top priorities.'

Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
Singaporean diver Megan Yow withdraws from World Aquatic Championships
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Diver Megan Yow (right), pictured with wushu exponent Kassandra Ong at the spexPotential programme ceremony, has withdrawn from the World Aquatics Championships. SINGAPORE - Singaporean diver Megan Yow has withdrawn from the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) owing to a wrist injury, Singapore Aquatics announced on July 24. The 15-year-old was initially slated to take part in three events – the women's individual 10m platform dive, women's 10m synchronised dive, and the mixed 10m synchronised dive – in her world championships debut. Her teammate, Ainslee Kwang, will take her place in the mixed 10m synchronised dive with Yim Shek Yen. Ainslee, 14, will be Singapore's sole representative in the women's 10m platform event. Singapore will not be fielding a pair in the women's 10m synchronised dive. Megan said in a statement: 'I'm disappointed not to be part of the competition, especially with the championships taking place on home ground. My focus now is on recovering well and coming back stronger. I'll be in the stands cheering on my teammates with pride and supporting the team every step of the way.' She had previously clinched a bronze medal in the 2024 Malaysia Open Diving Championships, and was one of 10 divers set to represent Singapore in the ongoing WCH, which kicked off on July 11 with water polo events. The diving competition will run from July 26 to Aug 3, starting with the women's 1m springboard, mixed 3m and 10m team events on July 26 at the OCBC Aquatic Centre. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Live: Thailand, Cambodia clash with jets, rockets, artillery in deadly border row Asia 11 Thai civilians killed as Thai and Cambodian militaries clash at disputed border: Reports Singapore First BTO flats in Greater Southern Waterfront, Mount Pleasant to go on sale in October Singapore Boy, 15, charged after being caught with vapes 5 times; ordered to stay 2 years in S'pore Boys' Home Asia 'Vampire coach': Coercive blood sampling in school casts spotlight on Taiwan's culture of obedience Business MOM probing work injury claim flagged by late Sumo Salad boss Jane Lee: Dinesh Tech From aviation to healthcare, workers have taken small steps to be early adopters of AI in Singapore Singapore Over 2 years' jail for man who worked with wife to cheat her then boyfriend of $220k As hosts, Singapore will field its largest-ever contingent of 72 athletes to compete in swimming, diving, water polo, and artistic swimming. Artistic swimmers Debbie Soh and Yvette Chong scored two personal bests to place 14th and 17th in the women's duet free and duet technical events respectively, while divers Ashlee Tan and Fong Kay Yian will compete on July 26 in the women's 1m springboard.