'She always fights to the end': Shanti Pereira's Asian Games triumph as told by those who know her best

HANGZHOU, China: It was an Asian Games gold medal won by Singapore's sprint queen Shanti Pereira, but a victory shared by many – in particular, her parents, her coach Luis Cunha and her boyfriend Tan Zong Yang.

After bursting across the finish line at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium on Monday (Oct 2) to win the women’s 200m final, Pereira took a moment to savour the victory before turning back down the track with a Singapore flag in hand.

There was a group of people she had to acknowledge: The ones who had been in her corner through thick and thin.

"I knew I had supporters there, so I ran down," she told reporters breathlessly after the race. 

China's Li Yuting took the silver with 23.28s and Bahrain's Edidiong Ofonime Odiong came third at 23.48s. Odiong's compatriot, Salwa Eid Naser, was disqualified for a false start.

This was Singapore’s first athletics gold medal since 1974, when Chee Swee Lee won the women’s 400m.

In the stands, her parents Clarence and Jeet looked on.

"So proud, so proud to see that (race). I just got emotional," said Clarence, in the stands with his signature hat. "What we hoped for her to do, she did ... I'm still in a daze."

"Waiting for the event to take place was really nerve wracking, prayers were really important," added Jeet. "She did well for all of us. I'm really proud of her."

One pillar of support has been Pereira's boyfriend, who is a former national runner.

"To be honest, at 50m when I saw her pulling away, I was half sure she was going to win," said Tan. "She's very strong, and I know she always fights to the end."

On Saturday, Pereira ended her country's nearly 50-year wait for a track and field medal at the Asian Games, after she clinched silver in the women’s 100m.

The Singaporean