'Legs do the talking': Sprinter Shanti Pereira's parents proud of how she overcame adversity and won

PHNOM PENH: There were days when they watched their daughter grapple with negativity, expectations and pressure.

She struggled. But she did not wilt, did not bend, and did not break.

And on Friday (May 12), Clarence and Jeet Pereira watched on proudly from the stands at the Morodok Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, as Shanti made history.

The 26-year-old took gold in athletics' blue riband event, becoming the first Singaporean woman to achieve the sprint double - 100m and 200m - at the same edition of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

She clocked 11.41s, ahead of Thailand's Supanich Poolkerd in 11.58s and Thi Nhi Yen Tran of Vietnam in 11.75s.

"We were all looking forward to her to getting the gold in the 100m," Jeet told CNA. "Knowing the strength that she has, she's capable. We're very proud of her because of the passion she has, and the journey she went through. We can see the changes in her."

Shanti first burst into the nation's consciousness at the 2015 Games when she took gold in the 200m, clocked a personal best and set a new national record. Her win also ended a 42-year gold medal drought for Singapore in a Games sprint event.

But with it came the enormity of expectations.

“It created a lot of pressure and I feel like I didn't have the experience to cope with it yet,” she told CNA previously.

The 2017 SEA Games would end in tears for Pereira, as she finished with a pair of bronzes in the 100m and 200m.

Then came two injuries in 2018, before another two third-place finishes at the 2019 Games.

"Physically for the longest time, I was there. I (felt I) could do a PB (personal best), NR (national record) and all that but mentally I wasn't there," she said.

"There was a lot of self-doubt that kind of grew as the years