She was once criticized for being "past her prime" and lost her scholarship.

In the women's 100m final at Morodok Techo Stadium on May 12th, the 26-year-old Singaporean athlete achieved a time of 11.41 seconds, surpassing Supanich Poolkerd of Thailand (11.58 seconds) and Tran Thi Nhi Yen of Vietnam (11.75 seconds) to win the gold medal. Prior to this, she had also overcome many other strong competitors and successfully defended the gold medal she won at the 31st SEA Games.

With her double medal win, Shanti Pereira became the first female track and field athlete from Singapore to achieve this feat. Holding back tears, Pereira shared after her victory: "I want to hug my coach. Today we made history. It's an amazing moment. Finally, the race is over, and I'm just glad I didn't panic even though everyone was by my side. I'm so excited."

Shanti Pereira became the first Singaporean female athlete to win two gold medals in the 100m and 200m races.

On May 13th, Shanti Pereira returned to Singapore. She was accompanied by her parents, who had been there to support and encourage her throughout the 32nd SEA Games. Mr. Clarence and Mrs. Jeet were also overjoyed when their daughter won two gold medals in Cambodia. However, while standing in the stands, Mr. Clarence shared that they sometimes heard direct criticism directed at their daughter, and they could only remain silent and encourage her.

He choked up, saying, "For the past few years, we've felt the negativity. I don't want to mention their names. The criticism came from the public, from people in the local athletics community, from people who knew my daughter well. Even I heard them say directly that my daughter was past her prime. I just nodded and said nothing. Let my daughter's legs speak for themselves."

Standing beside her, Mrs. Jeet added, “The most important thing is that my daughter didn’t give up. No matter what people say about her, her style and training methods haven’t changed. Shanti Pereira keeps going and says she will persevere and keep going. We will always be there to support Shanti Pereira on her journey and will take her wherever she goes.”

Shanti Pereira's parents always watched her from the stands.

Courtesy of Clarence Pereira

Shanti Pereira received the Sports Excellence Scholarship (SPEX) in 2016, but it was discontinued in 2018 due to a lack of outstanding achievements. Following her stunning victory in the 200m race at the 32nd SEA Games, the Singaporean athlete was reinstated as a SPEX scholarship recipient.

“Shanti Pereira lost her scholarship, which was a very difficult time. What could we do besides comfort her? But it’s good that Shanti Pereira received such wonderful support from her sisters and brother,” Clarence added.

Shanti Pereira lost her scholarship in 2018 and was criticized for being past her prime.

While joyful about returning to Singapore, Jeet said that Shanti Pereira was very stressed during the preparation for the races and her daughter had experienced a lot of pressure over the past few days. The Singaporean athlete is currently looking for competitions and accumulating points to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, and her first goal will be the Asian Games.

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