Pereira retains Asian Games 200m gold, makes history

Singaporean sprinter Shanti Pereira won the gold medal in the 200 metres at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan on Sunday.

She defended the title she won in Hangzhou in 2023 and became the first woman to win this event twice at the Asian Games.

In the final at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, 30-year-old Pereira recorded 22.78 seconds, matching her season’s best.

China’s Chen Yujie finished second in 22.93 seconds, while Harita Bhadra of India took bronze in 23.20 seconds.

Pereira had the best result in the qualifying heats the previous day. The Singapore national record in the 200 metres, which she holds, stands at 22.57 seconds.

Pereira’s victory in Hangzhou in 2023 was Singapore’s first athletics gold at the Asian Games since 1974. At that time, Chee Swee Lee won the women’s 400 metres.

Earlier this week, Pereira also won a silver medal in the 100 metres. Chen Yujie won gold in that event, setting an Asian Games record of 11.06 seconds.

Pereira ran the 100 metres in 11.21 seconds, 0.01 seconds slower than her national record.