Veronica Shanti Pereira (born 20 September 1996) is a

Singaporean Singaporeans are the citizens and nationals of the sovereign island city-state of Singapore. Singapore is home to a people of a variety of ethno-racial-religious origins, with the city-state itself being a multi-racial, multi-cultural, m ...

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

athlete who specialises in the

100 m The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

200 m The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400-metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slight ...

, 4 x 100 m, and 4 x 400 m. She holds the 100 m national record (11.20s), 200 m national record (22.57s), 400 m national record (53.67s), 4 x 100m national record (44.96), 200 m

SEA Games The Southeast Asian Games, commonly known as SEA Games is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with su ...

record (22.69s), and the 200 m

Asian Athletics Championships The Asian Athletics Championships is an event organized by the Asian Athletics Association. History The competition courted controversy with the IAAF when political in-fighting arose after Israel was excluded from participation in 1977. That edi ...

games record (22.70s). She was ranked 1st in Asia in 2023 for both the 100 m and 200 m based on

World Athletics World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international sports governing body, governing body for the sport ...

' records.

Education

Pereira was introduced to track and field when she was in Primary Three at CHIJ (Katong) Primary, after watching her elder sister compete in a school race. She subsequently enrolled in

Singapore Sports School Singapore Sports School (SSP) is a specialised Independent school, independent boarding school under the purview of Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth of the Government of Singapore that offers an integrated sports and academic programme to ...

, where she led them to the C Division team championship at the National School Games. Pereira then studied for a diploma in sports and leisure management offered jointly by

Republic Polytechnic Republic Polytechnic (RP) is a post-secondary education institution and statutory board under the purview of the Ministry of Education in Singapore. Established in 2002, RP is renowned for its sports science programs. It is also the first and ...

and Singapore Sports School. In 2017, she was awarded the

Yip Pin Xiu Yip Pin Xiu (born 10 January 1992) is a Singaporean backstroke swimmer. She is a six-time Paralympic gold medalist and four-time World Champion, with two world records in the 50 m backstroke S2 and the 100 m backstroke S2. Yip is Singapore's ...

Scholarship to study accountancy at

Singapore Management University Singapore Management University (SMU) is a publicly funded private university in Singapore. Founded in 2000, SMU is the third oldest autonomous university in the country, modelling its education after the Wharton School. The university is trip ...

. In 2018, she lost the scholarship, being unable to keep the minimum GPA requirements. Pereira eventually graduated in 2021.

Running career

Youth

Pereira set a number of records in her youth. She holds the U-23 records for the 100 m (11.80s) and 200 m (23.99s) and was a member of the teams which set the records for the 4 x 100 m (46.64s) and 4 x 400 m (3:44.80) relays; the U-19 records for the 100 m (11.89s) and 200 m (23.99s); the U-17 records for the 100 m (12.21s) and 200 m (24.92s); and U-15 records for the 100 m (12.68s). In 2013, Pereira became the first female Singaporean to run the 100 m in under 12 seconds when she clocked 11.89s at the

2013 World Youth Championships in Athletics The 2013 World Youth Championships in Athletics was the eighth edition of the biennial international athletics competition for youth (under-18) athletes. The five-day competition took place between 10 and 14 July at the RSC Olimpiyskiy stadium in ...

Donetsk, Ukraine Donetsk ( , ; ; ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin, and Stalino, is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine located on the Kalmius River in Donetsk Oblast, which is currently occupied by Russia as the capital ...

. At the

2013 Southeast Asian Games The 2013 Southeast Asian Games (, ), officially known as the 27th Southeast Asian Games, or the 27th SEA Games, and commonly known as Naypyitaw 2013, were a Southeast Asian multi-sport event took place in Naypyidaw, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar from 11 ...

, she came in fourth in the 100 m final. In 2014, she became the first female Singaporean to run the 200 m in under 24 seconds when she clocked 23.99s at the

Asian Junior Athletics Championships The Asian U20 Athletics Championships (formerly Asian Junior Athletics Championships) are the Asian championships open for those of age according to junior. It is currently organized by the Asian Athletics Association. 1 shanti pereira 2015 sea games 200m final

1 shanti pereira 2015 sea games 200m final

At the

2015 Southeast Asian Games The 2015 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 28th Southeast Asian Games, or the 28th SEA Games, and commonly known as Singapore 2015, were a Southeast Asian multi-sport event held by the city-state of Singapore from 5 to 16 June 201 ...

, Pereira won the bronze medal in the 100 m with a time of 11.88s, Singapore's first medal in the event in 42 years. She also won the gold medal in the 200 m with a time of 23.60s, rewriting the national record she had set in the day's heats (23.82s); this was Singapore's first gold medal in a sprint event in the SEA Games in 42 years. Although the Singapore quartet which she was part of came in fourth in the 4 x 400 m relay, it broke the oldest record in Singapore's athletics history with a time of 3:40.58. In her final event, the 4 x 100 m relay, the team came in fourth, but set a new national record of 45.41s. At the

2017 Southeast Asian Games The 2017 Southeast Asian Games (), officially known as the 29th Southeast Asian Games, or the 29th SEA Games, and commonly known as Kuala Lumpur 2017, were a Southeast Asian multi-sport event that took place from 19 to 30 August 2017 in Kuala ...

, Pereira won the bronze medal in both the 100 m and 200 m; she repeated this double at the

2019 Southeast Asian Games The 2019 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 30th Southeast Asian Games, or the 30th SEA Games, and commonly known as Philippines 2019, were the 30th edition of the SEA Games, Southeast Asian Games, a biennial regional multi-sport ...

. In 2021, Pereira qualified for the 200 m in the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

through universality places. She finished 6th in her heat with a season-best time of 23.96s. At the

2021 Southeast Asian Games The 2021 Southeast Asian Games (), officially known as the 31st Southeast Asian Games, 31st SEA Games or SEA Games 31, and also recognized as Viet Nam 2021, were the 31st edition of the Southeast Asian Games, the biennial regional multi-sport e ...

, Pereira won the gold medal at the 200 m with a time of 23.52s, rewriting the national record she had set in the 2015 Southeast Asian Games. In the 100 m, she won the silver medal, clocking 11.62s. At the

2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England betw ...

, Pereira clocked 11.48s in the 100 m heats, breaking her previous record of 11.58s set in 2019. However, her time of 11.57s in the next round was unable to earn her qualification for the final. In the 200 m, she also broke her previous record with a time of 23.46s. She clocked the same time in the semifinal, placing 11th overall among 24 runners. In October 2022,

Sport Singapore Sport Singapore (SportSG) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth of the Government of Singapore. It is the lead agency tasked with developing a holistic sports culture for the nation. History Sport Singapore was ...

announced that Pereira was one of seven athletes who had joined the 2022 Sport Excellence (Spex) Scholarship programme; she was previously a Spex scholar between 2016 and 2018. She had lost the Spex scholarship in 2018 as she was unable to medal at the

2018 Asian Games The 2018 Asian Games ( or ''Asian Games 2018''), officially known as the 18th Asian Games (), and also known as Jakarta-Palembang 2018 or Indonesia 2018, were a Asia, continental multi-sport event that was held from 18 August to 2 September 201 ...

2023: breaking records

2023 was a watershed year for Pereira. On 3 March, she clocked 11.46s in the 100 m heats of the New Zealand Track and Field Championships to rewrite her national mark. While she ran 11.44s to win the bronze in the final, this was not recognised as a record due to the strong tailwind (3.4 m/s). On 25 March, she clocked 23.16s to break her 200 m national record after finishing third at the Brisbane Track Class. On 31 March, she rewrote her 100 m national record after running 11.38s at the Australia Open; she lowered the mark to 11.37s when she won the final the next day. On 2 April, she ran 22.89s in the 200 m at the same meet, rewriting her national mark yet again and becoming the first Singaporean woman to run under 23s. 2023 was also the year Pereira became the first Singaporean to top

' women's 100 m outdoor rankings in Asia. At the

2023 SEA Games The 2023 Southeast Asian Games (, UNGEGN: ''Kar Brâkuŏt Keila Brâchéachéatĕ Asi Aknéy 2023''), also known as the 32nd Southeast Asian Games, or the 32nd SEA Games, and commonly known as Cambodia 2023, were the 32nd edition of the Southe ...

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...

, Pereira successfully defended her 200 m title; her time of 22.69s not only rewrote the Singapore record, but the SEA Games record as well. She also won the 100 m, becoming the first Singaporean woman to win the sprint double at the SEA Games. In the same month, she ran 11.34s and 11.26s in the heats and final respectively at the International Pentecost Sports Meeting in Rehlingen, rewriting her national mark twice in the same day and setting a Southeast Asian best.

2023 Asian Athletics Championships

On 14 July, Pereira won the 100 m at the

with a time of 11.20s, rewriting her national record for the sixth time in 2023 and becoming the first Singaporean to win a gold at the championships; this also ended Singapore's 16-year medal drought at the continental meet. Two days later, Pereira won the 200 m as well, with a time of 22.70s, setting a new championship record. On 30 July, she claimed gold in the 200 m at the Mittsommernacht Athletics meet in Berlin with a time of 23.32s, beating Gina Lückenkemper, the reigning European 100 m and 4 x 100 m champion. On 5 August, Pereira clocked 23.38s to win the 200 m at the Folksam Grand Prix held in

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

, Sweden; she narrowly missed out on the 100 m gold, finishing 2nd with a time of 11.50s.

2023 World Athletics Championships & Qualification for Paris 2024

Following her results throughout the year, Pereira became the first Singaporean to qualify for the

World Athletics Championships The World Athletics Championships, known as the IAAF World Championships in Athletics until 2019, are a biennial sport of athletics, athletics competition organized by World Athletics, formerly International Association of Athletics Federations ...

on merit. She had competed at three previous world championships, but as a wild card entrant. Her qualification for the

2023 World Athletics Championships The 2023 World Athletics Championships (), the nineteenth edition of the World Athletics Championships, were held from 19 to 27 August 2023 at the National Athletics Centre (Budapest), National Athletics Centre, in Budapest, Hungary. The tourna ...

was via her world rankings position of 23rd in the world for the women's 200 m and 47th for the women's 100 m. She became the first Singaporean to quality for the Championships on merit and also the first to compete in more than one event at the World Athletics Championships. At the competition, Pereira finished 4th in her 100 m heats with a time of 11.33s. She missed out on a place in the semi-finals, placing 31st out of 54 runners overall and achieved the highest placing among all the Asian athletes who took part in the 100 m. However, she qualified for the 200 m semi-final with a new national record time of 22.57s, placing 12th overall in a field of 44. This made her the first Singaporean to ever progress to a semi-final at the World Championships. Pereira also qualified for the

2024 Paris Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

by meeting the Olympic Qualifying mark of 22.57s, thus becoming the first Singaporean to qualify for the 200 m event at the Olympics. Pereira ended her World Championships outing, finishing 6th in her semi-final heats, clocking 22.79s. She placed 17th overall in the semi-finals, in a field of 23, also achieving the highest placing among all the Asian athletes who took part in the 200 m. On 4 September, Pereira finished 4th in both the 100 m and 200 m at the

Galà dei Castelli The Galà dei Castelli is an annual track and field meet that takes place at the Stadio Comunale Bellinzona in Bellinzona, Switzerland and is currently classified among the silver standard World Athletics Continental Tour The World Athletics Co ...

Bellinzona Bellinzona ( , ; ; is a municipality, a List of towns in Switzerland, historic Swiss town, and the capital of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The town is famous for its Three Castles of Bellinzona, three castles (Castelgrande, Montebello, Sa ...

with a time of 11.43s and 22.88s respectively. Two days later, she finished 6th in the 100 m at the Palio Città della Quercia in

Rovereto Rovereto (; "wood of sessile oaks"; locally: ''Roveredo'') is a city and ''comune'' in Trentino in northern Italy, located in the Vallagarina valley of the Adige River. History Rovereto was an ancient fortress town standing at the fronti ...

with a time of 11.52s.

19th Asian Games

Pereira competed in the 100 m, 200 m, and 4 x 100 m relay at the

2022 Asian Games The 2022 Asian Games (), officially the 19th Asian Games () and also known as Hangzhou 2022 ( zh, c=, s=杭州2022, labels=no), were a continental multi-sport event which was held from 23 September to 8 October 2023 in Hangzhou, China. The ...

Hangzhou Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...

(delayed till 2023 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

). On 29 September, she made the 100 m final after finishing 3rd in her heat with a time of 11.42s. She missed the two automatic qualifying spots but made the final by virtue of clocking the fastest time outside the six automatic qualifiers. In the final, she clinched silver with a time of 11.27s, being edged out by China's Ge Manqi by 0.04s; this was the first Asian Games track and field medal for Singapore in 49 years. The next day, Pereira qualified for the 200 m final with a time of 23.14s, the fastest in the heats. In the final, she won gold with a time of 23.03s, also ending Singapore's 49-year wait for a gold medal in track and field at the Asian Games since

Chee Swee Lee Chee Swee Lee (born 10 January 1955) is a Singaporean retired middle-distance runner who competed in the women's 800 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympics. She was the first Singaporean woman to clinch a gold in athletics at the Asian Games—achi ...

's triumph in the women's 400 m back in

1974 Asian Games The 7th Asian Games (), also known as Tehran 1974 (), were held from 1 to 16 September 1974 in Tehran, Iran. The Aryamehr Sports Complex was built for the Games. This marked the first time the Asian Games were hosted in the Middle East. Tehran, t ...

. In the final of the 4 x 100 m, Singapore finished 5th with a time of 45.34s.

Preparations for Paris 2024

As part of preparations for her 2024 season and for the Paris Olympics, Pereira was entered for a 400 m race at the Florida Relays on 30 March. Though she finished 5th, her 53.67-second effort eclipsed the 54.18sec mark set by Dipna Lim-Prasad that won her a silver medal at the

2017 SEA Games The 2017 Southeast Asian Games (), officially known as the 29th Southeast Asian Games, or the 29th SEA Games, and commonly known as Kuala Lumpur 2017, were a Southeast Asian multi-sport event that took place from 19 to 30 August 2017 in Kuala ...

. With this record, Pereira now holds the national record in all four sprint categories.

Injury setback

On 15 April, it was reported that Pereira had suffered a stress injury in her

fibula The fibula (: fibulae or fibulas) or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. ...

. This meant that she would miss her debut in the

Diamond League The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fifteen invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics one-day meet competitions. The inaugural season was ...

competition in

Xiamen Xiamen,), also known as Amoy ( ; from the Zhangzhou Hokkien pronunciation, zh, c=, s=, t=, p=, poj=Ē͘-mûi, historically romanized as Amoy, is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Stra ...

and

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, as well as two major meets in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. On 6 July 2024, Pereira was unveiled as one of the flag bearers for the

Paris 2024 Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

, alongside Team Singapore sailor

Ryan Lo Ryan Lo Jun Han (born 26 February 1997) is a Singaporean sailor. Lo is the reigning Asiad champion of the ILCA 7 class and competed in the Laser event at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He is also a three-time SEA Games individual gold medalist of t ...

. On 12 July 2024, it was announced that Pereira had qualified for the

100m The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

at the

by virtue of her world ranking. She had earlier already qualified for the

200m The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400-metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slight ...

by meeting the Olympic entry standard.

2024 Paris Olympics

Pereira did not qualify for the 100m semi-finals, and she finished 55th out of 72 athletes overall. Her time of 11.63s placed her 7th out of the nine runners in her heat. In the

200m The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400-metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slight ...

, Pereira clocked 23.21s in Round 1, finishing last in Heat 5. With 6 slots up for grabs in the repechage, Pereira again placed last in Heat 1 with a timing of 23.45s, bowing out of the 2024 Paris Olympic games, finishing 31st out of 45 competitors.

2025 Singapore Open Track and Field Championships

Pereira, alongside team mates, Laavinia Jaiganth, Elizabeth-Ann Tan and Kerstin Ong, equaled the Singapore's women's 4x100m relay national record and qualified for the

at the 2025 Singapore Open Track and Field Championships. Pereira also won the 100m & 200m races with 11.45s and 23.11s respectively, setting a Championships record in the 200m.

2025 Asian Athletics Championships

Pereira clinched the silver medal in the 100m by clocking a time of 11.41s to finish behind China's Liang Xiaojing. She also clinched the silver medal in the 200m by clocking a time of 22.98s to finish behind China's Chen Yujie.

Personal life

Pereira's life journey has been chronicled by her older sisters, Valerie and Shobi Pereira, in the children's book, ''Go Shanti Go!'' Pereira has been engaged to former national sprinter and 2x

bronze medalist, Tan Zong Yang, since 12 June 2024.

Recognition

* Straits Times’ Athlete of the Year: 2023 * Singapore Sports Awards: Sportswoman of the Year 2024

Personal bests

60 metres 60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At indoor events, the 60 metres is run on lanes set out in the mi ...

(Indoor) – 7.61s ( Hangzhou 2014) *

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

– 11.20s (0.0 m/s, Bangkok 2023) *

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400-metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slight ...

– 22.57s (−0.4 m/s,

Budapest 2023 The 2023 World Athletics Championships (), the nineteenth edition of the World Athletics Championships, were held from 19 to 27 August 2023 at the National Athletics Centre, in Budapest, Hungary. The tournament returned to its usual two-year c ...

) *

400 meters The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is ...

– 53.67s (2024 Florida Relays)

References

External links

*
Shanti Pereira
at the Kuala Lumpur 2017 Southeast Asian Games (archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Pereira, Shanti 1996 births Singaporean female sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Asian Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2018 Asian Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2022 Asian Games Asian Games gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Commonwealth Games competitors for Singapore Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Living people World Athletics Championships athletes for Singapore SEA Games medalists in athletics SEA Games gold medalists for Singapore SEA Games bronze medalists for Singapore Competitors at the 2015 SEA Games Competitors at the 2017 SEA Games Asian Games competitors for Singapore Competitors at the 2019 SEA Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Singapore Competitors at the 2021 SEA Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Asian Athletics Championships winners 21st-century Singaporean sportswomen Competitors at the 2023 SEA Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics Asian Athletics Championships medalists