Shanti Pereira retains Asian Games 200m gold medal

Singaporean sprinter Shanti Pereira successfully defended her 200m title at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, clocking a time of 22.78 seconds. This victory makes her the first woman in Asiad history to win back-to-back gold medals in the 200m event.

Pereira finished ahead of China’s Chen Yujie, who took silver with 22.93 seconds, and India’s Harita Bhadra, who took bronze with 23.20 seconds. The performance matched Pereira’s season best. This win follows her recent silver medal in the 100m, where she ran 11.21 seconds.

Despite facing physical fatigue and anxiety leading up to the race, Pereira attributed her success to mental strength and belief. Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam commended her performance, noting the immense physical and emotional effort required to achieve the milestone.