Shanti Pereira qualifies for Asian Games 100m semis

SINGAPORE: Sprinter Shanti Pereira has qualified for the women's 100m semifinals at the Asian Games in Japan.

Running in the first of four heats for the event at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium on Thursday (Sep 24), the 30-year-old clocked a time of 11.43s to finish second in her race, behind China's Chen Yujie (11.41s).

Pereira, who won silver in the 100m in the previous edition of the Games, will enter Friday's semi-finals as the second-fastest qualifier. The final is also scheduled for Friday evening.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Pereira said she executed her race exactly the way she wanted to.

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“I want a podium for both (events) – that’s always been the goal. I’m here to chase for it,” she said of her expectations at the Games.

Singapore's other representative in the women's 100m, Elizabeth-Ann Tan, will join Pereira in the semi-finals after clocking 11.79s in her heat and ranking 13th out of 28 runners.

Pereira, who is also slated to defend her gold in the 200m, entered the Asian Games in fine form. 

Two months ago, she made history by becoming the first Singaporean to qualify for an individual sprint final at the Commonwealth Games.

That came in the 200m, where she clocked a then season-best 22.81s in the semi-finals before finishing eighth in the final.

She also reached the 100m semi-finals in Glasgow, clocking 11.24s - her fastest time of the season and just 0.04 seconds shy of the national record she set at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships.

Following the Commonwealth Games, Pereira raced in the United Kingdom, Poland and Oman, finishing on the 200m podium at all three meets. She clocked a season-best 22.78s in Oman.