Singapore's Shanti Pereira wins 100m silver at the Asian Athletics Championships
At the Gumi Civic Stadium in South Korea, the 28-year-old clocked 11.41sec, just behind gold medallist Liang Xiaojing (11.37) of China. Tran Thi Nhi Yen of Vietnam claimed the bronze in 11.54.
Defending champion Pereira was second-quickest in qualifying, clocking a season's best 11.40sec in the heats in a field of 21 sprinters. Liang topped the group in 11.22, while Japan's Aiha Yamagata (11.53) was third.
As Pereira had expected, she got off to a slower start, but the 28-year-old felt she executed a strong race overall, finishing just 0.04sec behind Liang - who was a 60m world indoor championships finalist in March.
Pereira added: "Proud of another milestone in my ability to compete at Asia's highest levels, delivering clutch performances in major competitions.
"Satisfied to be able to continue to inspire Singaporean sportspeople and elevate Singapore's profile in Asian athletics."
While she missed out on the gold, coach Luis Cunha noted that Pereira performed well.
The Portuguese said: "Everything we did this season was to prepare for this competition. This is our first major competition, so everything is good. She's healthy, she's in shape and she did a good race.
"This time, it was not enough to cross the finish line first, but everything was according to the plan and we cannot ask for more."
Singapore Athletics president Lien Choong Luen added: "It was a very tight race today against very strong competition and Shanti was closing very strongly at the end.
"Her season has been going well with overseas training and races in Nea Zealand and Japan, as well as her great run at the Singapore Open last month. Looking forward to her upcoming 200m races."
The Asian Athletics Championships have previously been a happy hunting ground for Pereira, who claimed the historic 100m and 200m sprint double at the 2023 edition in Thailand after clocking 11.20sec and 22.70 respectively. She went on to clinch a gold and silver (200m, 100m) at the Asian Games two months later.
Comparing her race to her gold-medal run two years ago, Cunha added: "The time was different, but the conditions were also different. So second place, behind the Chinese girl that is one of the best athletes in the world, is a very good result."
This is Pereira's ninth event of the 2025 season, which began in February when she clocked 11.68sec in the 100m at the International Track Meet in Christchurch, New Zealand.
She added that she is highly motivated for her pet event, the 200m, with the heats taking place on May 30.
In other results, Singapore's Marc Louis did not qualify for the men's 100m final after finishing joint-14th out of 22 runners in the semi-finals.
He clocked 10.52sec, 0.10sec behind the last qualifiers for the final - China's Wang Shengjie and Oman's Malham Al Balushi.
Teammate Ang Chen Xiang missed out on the semi-finals of the men's 110m hurdles, clocking 13.87sec to finish fifth in his preliminary heat.
The men's 100m final on May 28 came down to the wire, with Japan's Hiroki Yanagita clinching gold in a photo finish.
He won in 10.194sec, ahead of Thailand's Puripol Boonson (10.196), while Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Abdullah Abkar (10.296) edged out Al Balushi (10.299) for the bronze.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Taylor Swift's boyfriend Travis Kelce namedrops ‘scorching hot' Singapore in new GQ interview
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Football star Travis Kelce says he and pop superstar Taylor Swift are "just two people who are in love". It has been over a year since American football star Travis Kelce was in town to attend his girlfriend Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concerts at the National Stadium in March 2024, but Singapore's heat and humidity is still on his mind. In a cover story interview with GQ for the US magazine's September issue, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end praised the American pop superstar for having the endurance and stamina of an athlete. 'She may not think of herself as an athlete, but I've seen what she goes through. I've seen the amount of work that she puts on her body, and it's mind-blowing,' he said. He shared about the tough conditions Swift, 35, had to endure during her global The Eras Tour, comprising 149 sell-out concerts that ran from March 17, 2023, to Dec 8, 2024. Kelce, 35, zeroed in on her six shows in Singapore. Not only did she brave the heat generated by electronic equipment beneath the massive stage floor, she also had to put up with the country's punishing weather. 'The (Eras Tour) floor is literally a football field-sized computer. You take that into Singapore, where it is scorching hot, and all of a sudden you're feeling the fumes from the computer, and you're feeling the fumes from the sun, and you're doing a show for three hours with a lot of energy, bringing it every single song,' he said. 'That is arguably more exhausting than how much I put in on a Sunday, and she's doing it three, four, five days in a row.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business Singapore banks face headwinds in rest of 2025, but DBS is pulling ahead: Analysts Singapore Allianz insures Singapore's first fully driverless bus amid challenges posed by autonomous vehicles Asia Mixed reactions among Malaysia drivers on S'pore move to clamp down on illegal ride-hailing services Business Singtel Q1 profit soars 317.4% to $2.9 billion on exceptional gains of $2.2 billion Asia Diamonds, watches and shoes: Luxury items at heart of probe into South Korea's former first lady Singapore Yishun man admits to making etomidate-laced pods for vaporisers; first Kpod case conviction Sport New Hui Fen becomes first Singaporean bowler to win PWBA Tour Player of the Year Singapore SG60: Many hands behind Singapore's success story This is not the first time Kelce has commented on Singapore's heat. In the March 13, 2024 episode of Kelce and his brother Jason's New Heights podcast, Kelce gave a glowing review of his visit between March 7 and 9, calling the city state 'high-tech' and 'futuristic', exceedingly 'well planned out' and 'more interesting' to him than Sydney, Australia, where he also travelled to for The Eras Tour. He also made nods to the diverse cuisine and the '100 deg F' (38 deg C) temperatures. In the same interview, Kelce gushed about the couple's relationship and how he is the 'happiest guy in the world' since they started dating in 2023. He said they could relate to each other, revealing how they have a lot in common, such as entertaining sold-out stadiums. 'I hadn't experienced somebody in the same shoes as me, having a partner who understands the scrutiny, understands the ups and downs of being in front of millions. That was very relatable, seeing how exhausted she would get after shows.' He also stressed that their romance is not a publicity stunt. 'Whenever I'm with her, it feels like we're just regular people... we're just two people who are in love,' Kelce said, adding that their relationship happened 'very organically'. Meanwhile, the celebrity lovebirds look set to break records together in the days to come. A teaser clip from Swift's upcoming highly anticipated guest starring episode of New Heights, featuring the Grammy-winning singer's surprise reveal of her new 12th studio album The Life Of A Showgirl, was posted on Aug 12. It officially became her most viewed Instagram reel ever, garnering over 130 million views in less than 24 hours. It has since received over 168 million views and 5.1 million likes. The full podcast episode will be released on Aug 13, marking Swift's debut podcast interview and their inaugural joint interview appearance.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Cristiano Ronaldo and girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez are engaged, but all eyes are on the ring
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox NEW YORK - In an Instagram post on Aug 11, Georgina Rodríguez, the longtime girlfriend of Portuguese soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, shared a photo of a gigantic rock on her ring finger. Beneath her hand, adorned with long, freshly manicured, glazed French nails, was another person's hand – presumably Ronaldo's, since he was tagged in the photo. 'Yes, I do. In this and in all my lives,' the model captioned the photo in her native Spanish. Immediately, the oval-cut ring had people talking. Some people compared the diamond ring to a Ring Pop, the lollipop candy, and others joked that it was probably so expensive that it could save world hunger. 'To wear this stone regularly, you're going to need a finger reconstruction surgery,' Julia Chafe, a jewellery-focused social media influencer, said in a video on Instagram. 'Just imagine wearing a hundred-pound kettlebell on your finger all day, every day. Painful, but worth it.' Ronaldo, 40, and Rodríguez, 31, met in 2016 at a Gucci store in Madrid, where she was working at the time, back when he played for Real Madrid. He now plays in Saudi Arabia for Al Nassr. The couple share two daughters aged seven and three. Ronaldo has three more children, a 15-year-old son and eight-year-old twins. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business Singapore banks face headwinds in rest of 2025, but DBS is pulling ahead: Analysts Asia Southern Taiwan shuts down ahead of Typhoon Podul's arrival, hundreds of flights cancelled Business Singtel Q1 profit soars 317.4% to $2.9 billion on exceptional gains of $2.2 billion Asia Diamonds, watches and shoes: Luxury items at heart of probe into South Korea's former first lady World AI eroded doctors' ability to spot cancer within months in Lancet study Singapore Yishun man admits to making etomidate-laced pods for vaporisers; first Kpod case conviction Sport New Hui Fen becomes first Singaporean bowler to win PWBA Tour Player of the Year Singapore SG60: Many hands behind Singapore's success story Anya Walsh, a jewellery specialist at 77 Diamonds, a retailer based in London, said she was surprised to see a diamond ring that large. 'Usually when you see even celebrity proposals, it's around 2 to 3 carats or maybe 5 carats,' Walsh said. 'This ring is in a league of its own. It's taking a good third of her finger, size-wise.' But it did remind her of a few other rings worn by celebrities and socialites. Walsh estimated the cost of Rodríguez's ring to be at least US$5 million (S$6.4 million), and the total weight to be around 35 carats. She said it looked similar to American singer Mariah Carey's 35-carat emerald-cut engagement ring in 2016 from her Australian billionaire ex-fiance, James Packer. Rodriguez's ring also reminded Walsh of late Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor's 33-carat stone, gifted by her ex, Welsh actor Richard Burton, in 1968. It sold for US$8.8 million at a Christie's auction in 2011. There was also late American basketball star Kobe Bryant's 'apology ring' that he gave to wife Vanessa Bryant in 2003 after he admitted to cheating on her and that was rumoured to cost him US$4 million. Ronaldo, the most followed person on Instagram with more than 660 million followers, and a man with a level of international fame that cannot really be overstated, is bound to inspire trends with his engagement ring. 'Knowing who he is and knowing his impact on the world and his popularity, I don't think he could have done it any other way,' Walsh said. 'This is one of the biggest celebrity engagements we've seen in a while. So many people are really huge fans of him. A lot of men as well. I can guess there's going to be an uptick in oval diamonds for sure, but will people want larger diamonds now?' Oval diamonds are popular for their romantic, soft look. 'Even though this is a huge diamond, it has that sort of contour where it's quite delicate,' Walsh said. After the round brilliant ring, the oval diamond is the second most popular choice at 77 Diamonds, generating about 20 per cent of total sales. 'Because it's an elongated diamond, it helps also make your hand seem a bit more slender, a bit finer than a more geometric or rectangular-looking stone,' Walsh added. Rodríguez's engagement ring also appears to be flanked by two smaller oval diamond side stones, which is called a trilogy design. The three diamonds typically signify the past, present and future. Olivia Landau, founder of the Clear Cut, a jeweller in New York, said the side stones appeared to be around 3 carats each. She predicted that the three-stone ring, with three ovals, would be more popular now, though on a smaller scale. Landau also said that, given Rodríguez's track record with fine and high jewellery, she believed it was a natural diamond. 'She's known for being a maximalist with her jewellery.' NYTIMES
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
New Hui Fen becomes first Singaporean bowler to win PWBA Tour Player of the Year
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox New Hui Fen is the first Singaporean to win the PWBA Tour Player of the Year. She was presented with the trophy at the 2025 PWBA Tour Championship on Aug 13. SINGAPORE – New Hui Fen created history for Singapore bowling on Aug 13, when she was crowned the Professional Women's Bowling Association (PWBA) Tour Player of the Year. New is the first Singaporean and just the second Asian to win the coveted title, joining an elite group that includes American legends Liz Johnson, Lisa Wagner and Wendy Macpherson. Malaysia's Sin Li Jane won the award in 2024. New, 33, called it a 'dream come true' to have clinched the annual honour. 'Ever since competing on the PWBA tour, I've always wanted to win the Player of the Year title because it is a true testament of my consistency and skills,' she said. 'I feel very honoured to be representing Singapore and winning this award. Watching past winners like Liz Johnson and Shannon O'Keefe winning player of the year back to back was truly inspiring for me.' Ahead of the Aug 10-12 season-ending PWBA Tour Championship at ABC Gates Bowl in Rochester, New York, New was leading the race to capture the PWBA Tour Player of the Year. The accolade is determined annually by competition points racked up at 12 events throughout the year. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business S'pore banks face headwinds in rest of 2025, but DBS is pulling ahead, say analysts Singapore Sengkang-Punggol LRT line back to full service: SBS Transit World AI eroded doctors' ability to spot cancer within months in study Asia From Van Cleef to Vacheron, luxury gifts at centre of probe into South Korea's former first lady Singapore From survivable to liveable: The making of a green city Asia Malaysian flag hoisted upside down heats up debate ahead of national day celebrations Multimedia World Photography Day: Celebrating the art of image-making Singapore SG60: Many hands behind Singapore's success story But after finishing ninth to miss out on the stepladder finals with her 94,550-point total, it seemed like her closest competitor Jordan Snodgrass had seized the initiative. With the American the only one who could overtake New, the former – who had 93,125 points going into the Aug 12 finals – needed just a win in the first match to take her to 94,625, 125 points over New. But Snodgrass lost the opening match 185-150 against No.5 seed Stephanie Zavala, handing New the prestigious title. 'I was very nervous watching the match, I'd much rather be the person bowling. (When I did not make the finals), I did feel like I had lost the title as I didn't do as well as I wanted to for the Tour Championship,' said New. New credited the Singapore Bowling Federation, High Performance Sport Institute (HPSI), and the 'love and support from my family and friends'. She added: 'Singapore Bowling always provide us with the best guidance possible, the last few years we are fortunate to be able to work with Shawn Ryan (SBF technical consultant and coach). He is the best and I'm constantly learning from him.' She also acknowledged the work of HPSI strength and conditioning coach Joshua Lim, whom she said 'is the reason I am physically stronger and free from injuries'. The PWBA 2016 Rookie of the Year, has had a stellar 2025 which has seen her add more PWBA titles in a decorated career that also includes medals on the world stage. On May 31, she won the BowlTV Open before capturing her second title on the PWBA Tour on June 2 at the Rock 'n' Roll Open – it was her second victory in three days at the same venue. On June 18, she won four straight stepladder matches to win the 2025 US Women's Open, where she clinched the victory 290-188 in the title match against Snodgrass. Her triumph also placed her as the front-runner for the PWBA's annual accolade. New's fifth title and second Major triumph, after the 2016 PWBA Tour Championship, also meant she met the minimum criteria to be inducted into the PWBA Hall of Fame once she turns 50. This would make her the first Singaporean to achieve that feat. Reflecting on her recent victories, New said that winning the Rock 'n' Roll Open was the pivotal moment for her 'winning that title was something I manifested since April'. She added: 'Winning that added on to my belief that I can achieve anything as long as I set my mind to it. Winning the US Open was a follow through moment from the Rock 'n' Roll Open.' Although New has yet to decide how she will celebrate her historic achievement, she hopes her Player of the Year win will inspire a new generation of bowlers. Her advice to them is to embrace the lessons that come from setbacks. It is a mantra that has served her well. New said: 'Be patient, know all your strengths and weaknesses. Constantly ask for feedback on how you can improve, keep failing and keep learning. Through failing many times, I got many opportunities to learn and improve from my mistakes. Self reflections and learning how to receive feedback from coaches also helped me see things I couldn't see on my own.'
