Steady Bom Pi Pi: How Shanti Pereira Survived the Storm and Conquered Asia Again!

Aiyo, confirm plus chop, if you didn’t scream so loud at your TV screen that your next-door neighbor thought a HDB air-raid siren was going off, are you even a true-blue Singaporean?

Our absolute national treasure and sprint queen, Shanti Pereira, has done it again. At the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, she stared down continental pressure, laughed in the face of history, and effectively told the racetrack: “Hold my teh-si kosong, watch this.”

The Plot Twist: Revenge is a Dish Best Served Fast (and Furious)

To truly understand how satisfying this victory was, you have to look at what happened just a couple of days before. Shanti rolled into the 100m final ready to claim her usual throne, only to get pipped for the gold by China’s 17-year-old sprint phenom, Chen Yujie—who smashed the Games record with a blistering 11.06 seconds.

Now, imagine the entire island going blur-like-sotong, thinking, “Wah, never mind lah, 100m silver already steady liao, cannot be greedy!” But did Shanti settle for playing second fiddle to a teenage rocket? Please. (Though in a genuinely sweet sportsmanship moment on the podium earlier, the young Chen even gestured for Shanti to share the spotlight with a smile.)

When the 200m final rolled around, however, Shanti traded her usual Zen for pure, unadulterated speed. She tore down the wet, cold track like she was running away from a compulsory Monday morning meeting called by HR, clocking a season-best of 22.78 seconds. Chen Yujie had to settle for silver this time around, clocking 22.93 seconds while eating Singaporean dust. Take that, rookie! With this win, Shanti officially became the first woman in Asian Games history to defend her 200m crown.

A Quick Flashback: From Slump to Super-Stardom

Let’s not forget that Shanti’s career hasn’t always been a walk in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Years ago, she went through a brutal rough patch—dealing with injuries, an identity crisis, losing support, and a lengthy slump that made critics whisper. Even leading up to this, she survived a nasty fibula stress injury right before the Paris Olympics that disrupted her momentum.

Look at her golden resume now, though:

2015 SEA Games: Snagged a historic 200m gold that ended a 42-year drought.
2022 Hanoi SEA Games: Bounced back from her slump to reclaim the 200m throne.
2023 Hangzhou Asian Games: Smashed a 49-year wait by winning a historic 100m silver and 200m gold double.
2025 SEA Games in Bangkok: Defended her titles yet again.
2026 Asian Games: Defended her 200m crown to cement her legacy as an absolute legend, beating her younger arch-rival in style.

A two-time Olympian at 30 years old, Shanti has proven that resilience isn’t just a big word you throw into a secondary school essay—it’s running faster than everyone else while the whole nation watches.

High Blood Pressure Kopi & Mum’s Magic Advice

Back home (and in the stands), her parents and her fiance—former national 400m runner Tan Zong Yang, who trains right alongside her—were probably nursing high blood pressure over cups of kopi-o-kosong, sweating bullets from the sheer tension. But mum’s pre-race advice of “just believe” turned out to be more accurate than your neighborhood uncle’s 4D tips.

After battling injuries, teenage speed demons, and enough heavy stress to power an entire housing estate, Shanti proved once and for all that she isn’t just a flash in the pan. She is the undisputed queen of the track.

Sibei power! Now where is our public holiday?

Shanti’s historic win at Asian Games 2026: