Singapore sprint queen Shanti Pereira wins 100m gold, clinches historic SEA Games double

PHNOM PENH: When she made her SEA Games debut 10 years ago, Shanti Pereira was just a fresh-faced teenager "just happy to be there".

Fast forward a decade, Pereira, 26, has become the undisputed sprint queen of Southeast Asia and the first Singaporean woman to win both the 100m and 200m events at the same edition of the Games.

After clinching gold in the women’s 100m final at the 32nd SEA Games on Friday (May 12). Pereira clocked 11.41s ahead of Thailand's Supanich Poolkerd in 11.58s and Thi Nhi Yen Tran of Vietnam in 11.75sto triumph at the Morodok Techo National Stadium.

Compatriot Elizabeth-Ann Tan finished sixth in 11.96s.

"Back then, I came in fourth for everything (in the 100m and 200m events)," she recalled. "Now, I'm just looking back and I'm just like: 'Wah'. You can quote me, W-A-H."

Now the undisputed sprint queen of Southeast Asia, Pereira said she was glad she kept her cool to come from behind to take the victory.

"The (100m) race execution wasn't as great as I wanted it to be, but I'm just glad I didn't panic, even though the girls were beside me for the first part of the race," she told reporters.

And prior to the event, the fact that she could potentially make history was on her mind, said Pereira.

"I'm not going to lie, it was. (It's just) facts, my timing coming into the Games and the winning time at past editions. That was definitely something I thought about, but at the end of the day, you never know what's going to happen until the day itself, on the start line."

Pereira came into this year's regional meet in scintillating form, having smashed a number of national records in March and April.

Last month, she clocked the previous national record of 22.89s in the women’s 200m heats at the Australian Track and