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SINGAPORE: Singapore sprint queen Shanti Pereira missed out defending her crown by 0.01s after a nail-biting finish in the women's 200m final at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, on Saturday (May 31).
Pereira clocked 22.98s but was pipped to the line by China's Chen Yujie, who timed 22.97s. China's Li Yuting took bronze in 23.23s.
Pereira finished second overall in the heats on Friday to book her spot in the final.
Earlier in the week, Pereira took silver in the 100m. She clocked a time of 11.41s to finish behind China's Liang Xiaojing, who had a time of 11.37s. Vietnam's Tran Thi Nhi Yen took bronze with a time of 11.54s.
At the 2023 edition of the championships, Pereira clinched a historic sprint double.
In the 100m, she clocked a time of 11.20s to take gold and set a new national record, which still stands today. Iran's Farzaneh Fasihi took second place in Bangkok in 11.39s, and China's Ge Manqi rounded off the podium with a time of 11.40s.
Days later, the Singaporean obliterated the field in the 200m with a time of 22.70s – a meet record – with India's Jyothi Yarraji taking the silver in 23.13s and China's Li Yuting taking the bronze in 23.25s.
But after a splendid 2023, which also saw her win the 200m and take silver in the 100m at the Hangzhou Asian Games, Pereira endured a difficult 2024 after injury struck.
At the start of last year, she spent two months training in Florida. But a stress injury in her fibula would result in her missing her debut in the Diamond League competition in Xiamen and Shanghai, as well as two major meets in Japan, among other competitions.
It would also set her back on preparations for the Paris Olympics.
In her second Games campaign, Pereira did not make it past the 100m and 200m heats.
In the 200m, she clocked a time of 23.21s in the heats before timing 23.45s in the repechage heats. Her national record stands at 22.57s. In the 100m, she clocked 11.63s and finished 55th out of 72 athletes overall.
