Latest news with #SingaporeAthletics
New Paper
2 days ago
- Sport
- New Paper
Singapore's Shanti Pereira wins 100m silver at the Asian Athletics Championships
Singapore's sprint queen Shanti Pereira said she feels proud and satisfied after claiming a silver medal in the women's 100m final at the Asian Athletics Championships on May 28. 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.
New Paper
2 days ago
- Sport
- New Paper
Shanti Pereira makes history with 'groundbreaking' feats at Asian meet
Singapore's sprint queen Shanti Pereira added yet another feather to her cap, clinching her second silver at the Asian Athletics Championships on May 31. Despite failing to retain both her 100m and 200m titles, coach Luis Cunha hailed Pereira's "groundbreaking achievements" after she became the first sprinter to win two medals in back-to-back editions of the meet. Cunha said: "Her feat of earning two individual medals (sprint) in the Asian championships was unprecedented for Singapore. This is a truly remarkable milestone for Singaporean sports and athletics in Asia." At the Gumi Civic Stadium in South Korea, the 28-year-old clocked a season-best time of 22.98sec, just 0.01sec behind gold medallist Chen Yujie (22.97) and ahead of Li Yuting (23.23), both of China. Defending champion Pereira had qualified second-quickest in the field of 20 after clocking 23.59sec. Japan's Remi Tsuruta topped the heats with 23.37, while Chen (23.60) was third. Pereira, who won a 100m and 200m double in the 2023 edition in Thailand, had also settled for silver in the 100m final on May 28 after clocking 11.41sec, losing out to China's Liang Xiaojing by just 0.04sec. While Pereira did not respond to a request for comment by press time, Cunha preferred to look on the bright side, despite his charge missing out on a gold medal this time. He said: "Life's all about perspective. A glass of water can be half-full, half-empty, or even full but too cold or not tasty. Unfortunately, we're often surrounded by people with the latter perspective." Singapore Athletics (SA) president Lien Choong Luen too was upbeat about Pereira's performances. He said: "Shanti's back-to-back silver medals over 100m and 200m in Korea is an incredible feat in field packed with lots of talent. "While her performance at the 2023 edition saw different medal colours, the ability to stay consistent over multiple years is a testament to her determination and that of coach Luis and her team. Her longevity and performance is an inspiration for our young athletes." Besides the two silver medals, Pereira ended her campaign in Gumi with a national record, after teaming up with Elizabeth-Ann Tan, Shannon Tan and Laavinia Jaiganth to set a new mark of 44.66sec in the women's 4x100m relay while finishing fifth of seven teams. The previous mark of 44.96sec was set in 2017 by Pereira, Wendy Enn, Dipna Lim-Prasad and Nur Izlyn Zaini. The mark was equalled in April by Pereira, Jaiganth, Elizabeth-Ann Tan and Kerstin Ong. In Gumi, China won the race in 43.28, ahead of India (43.86) and Thailand (44.26). Said Elizabeth-Ann Tan: "Coming into this meet, the national record was our aim, and we have been practising really hard together. "We are very happy that our hard work paid off, and that we managed to beat the record and not just equal it this time, but really break it by a whole 0.3 seconds." (From left) Laavinia Jaiganth, Shannon Tan, Elizabeth-Ann Tan and Shanti Pereira set a new mark of 44.66sec in the women's 4x100m relay. PHOTO: SINGAPORE ATHLETICS Teammate Jaiganth believes that the result is a good indication ahead of December's SEA Games. She said: "I think it was a very good experience, especially in such a big competition like the Asian championships. We were obviously all very nervous, but we managed to actually lock in and run to the best of our abilities. There's room for improvement, and we're ready to work on that. "It's a very motivating result, because out of all the SEA Games countries, we were ranked second. It's a very happy outcome and very encouraging." SA coach Khairyll Amri added: "In the last edition, the bronze medal time was 44.5sec, this time around it was around 44.2 by Thailand, which was something we didn't expect, because during the Singapore Open, the gap between Thailand and Singapore wasn't that big. "So we were actually very hopeful of at least trying to close in on Thailand, but when everybody starts rising to the occasion, these things happen. So maybe on another day it might have been better." In other results, Singapore's 400m hurdler Calvin Quek clocked 50.94sec to finish last in the field of seven runners. The event was won by Qatar's Abderrahman Samba (48.00), with compatriot Bassem Hemeida second (49.44) and Chinese Taipei's Lin Chung-wei (49.73) third. Meanwhile, the Singapore men's 4x100m relay team of Daryl Tan, Teo Yan, Xander Ho and Marc Louis were disqualified for an errant baton exchange after finishing last in a time of 40.96sec. Hosts South Korea claimed the gold with a meet record of 38.49sec, ahead of Thailand (38.78) and Hong Kong (39.10) after China, who finished third, were also disqualified for the same reason.
The Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Singapore's Shanti Pereira pipped to 200m gold by Chinese ace at Asian athletic meet
Singapore's Shanti Pereira (centre) en route to winning a silver in the 200m event at the Asian Athletics Championships.-- PHOTO: SINGAPORE ATHLETICS SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): Singapore's sprint queen Shanti Pereira clinched silver in the women's 200m at the Asian Athletics Championships on May 31. At the Gumi Civic Stadium in South Korea, the 28-year-old clocked a season-best time of 22.98sec, just 0.01sec behind gold medallist Chen Yujie (22.97) and ahead of Li Yuting (23.23) both of China. Defending champion Pereira had qualified second quickest in the field of 20 after clocking 23.59sec. Japan's Remi Tsuruta topped the heats with 23.37sec, while China's Chen (23.60) was third. Pereira, who won a 100m and 200m double in the 2023 edition in Thailand, had also settled for silver in the 100m final on May 28 after clocking 11.41sec, losing out to China's Liang Xiaojing by just 0.04sec. Besides the two creditable silver medals, Pereira ended her campaign in Gumi with a national record, after teaming up with Elizabeth-Ann Tan, Shannon Tan and Laavinia Jaiganth to set a new mark of 44.66sec in the women's 4x100m relay. The Singaporeans, who finished fifth out of seven teams, surpassed the previous time of 44.96sec set in 2017 by Pereira, Dipna Lim, Wendy Enn and Nur Izlyn Zaini. China won the race with a 43.28sec effort, ahead of India (43.86sec) and Thailand (44.26sec). Singapore Athletics (SA) president Lien Choong Luen praised Pereira for her performances. He said: 'Shanti's back-to-back silver medals over 100m and 200m in Korea is an incredible feat in field packed with lots of talent. 'While her performance at the 2023 edition saw different medal colours, the ability to stay consistent over multiple years is a testament to her determination and that of coach Luis (Cunha) and her team. 'Her longevity and performance is an inspiration for our young athletes.' In other results, Singapore's 400m hurdler Calvin Quek clocked 50.94sec to finish last in the field of seven runners. The event was won by Qatar's Abderrahman Samba (48.00sec), with Chinese Taipei's Lin Chung-wei (49.73) and Japan's Shunta Inoue (50.02) finishing in the minor podium spots. Meanwhile, in the men's 4x100m relay, despite a promising start, Singaporeans Daryl Tan, Yan Teo, Xander Ho and Marc Louis finished last out of seven teams in a time of 40.96sec. Hosts South Korea claimed the gold with a meet record of 38.49sec, ahead of Thailand (38.78sec) and China (38.82sec). - The Straits Times/ANN
Independent Singapore
3 days ago
- General
- Independent Singapore
Singapore's Thiruben Thana Rajan successfully breaks 800m record at the Asian Athletics Championships after 38 years
SOUTH KOREA: The long-standing national record for the men's 800-m event at the Asian Athletics Championships was broken after 38 years by Singaporean athlete Thiruben Thana Rajan with a final time of 1:49.94. In Gumi, South Korea, the athlete's historic performance defeated the record set by Sinnathambi Pandian at the 7th Asian Track and Field Championships in 1987. With his achievement, the 24-year-old athlete expressed: 'Everything fell into place for me today and I achieved exactly what I set out to do, which was to break the national record and be the first Singaporean under 1:50.' He added: 'I'm proud of the fearless race I ran, pushing aggressively from the start.' In a social media post by Rajan using Singapore Athletics' account, the athlete proudly shared his historical win with a caption: 'NATIONAL RECORD 🇸🇬 … As many in the athletics community know, I've been managing the Singapore Athletics social media pages since 2023 as part of my full-time role overseeing marketing and sponsorships for the association…. After writing countless national record posts for my Team Singapore teammates over the past two years, it's a surreal feeling to finally be writing one… for myself.' He added: 'Today (30 May 2025), at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, I clocked 1:49.94 in the 800 Heats. This timing broke the long-standing Men's 800m National Record of 1:50.56 set by S. Pandian in 1987. I also became the first Singaporean ever to dip below 1:50 in the two-lap event. S. Surendra had also previously run a hand-timed 1:49.9 in 1983… My previous best was 1:51.28, set just a month ago at the Singapore Open.' 'I am very appreciative and grateful to my coaches Khairyll Amri and Hamkah Afik and to my training group at @ for being in my corner every step of the way… Let's keep going.' Netizens expressed their support to the young athlete in the comments section by saying: 'Well done, Thiruben ! You have gone through some valleys and came out stronger! We are immensely proud of you!', 'Solid guy. Hard work paying off bro', and 'Congratulations 👏👏👏👏' See also 2026 Tour de France to begin with a team time trial in Barcelona Rajan's transition from 400 m to 800 m Rajan admitted that he began training with his current coaches, Khairyll Amri and Hamkah Afik, a year ago, when he also had decided to transition from 400 m to 800 m. He is confident that he can beat the world record and declared: 'I've always had the belief that I am capable of taking down this record. This is certainly not the end goal for me, as this first year in the event was all about recovering from past injuries and getting used to the two laps again.' He also stated that he is excited to train and improve his skills for the SEA Games in December.
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Singapore's Thiruben Thana Rajan breaks 38-year-old national record at Asian Athletics C'ships
SINGAPORE – Not long after breaking a 38-year-old national record in the men's 800m on May 30, Singapore's Thiruben Thana Rajan has cast his sights on an even older mark. The middle distance runner clocked 1min 49.94sec during the heats of the Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea to eclipse Sinnathambi Pandian's record of 1:50.56, which was set in 1987. Now, the 24-year-old is eyeing a podium spot at the SEA Games. The only male Singaporean 800m runner to have achieved this was Serjit Singh, who won a bronze in the 1973 edition in Singapore. Thiruben, who finished 17th out of 28 in the heats at the Gumi Civic Stadium and did not qualify for the final, said he had been aiming to break the long-standing national record for a year. He added: 'I sat down with my coaches and we had a plan, basically whatever we planned just happened today, so it's quite surreal for me but it's an event that I have a lot more potential in, so it's definitely just the start. 'Seeing the field, I know that I still have some work to do to be at that calibre to get into the final, but it is not impossible… Maybe in the next Asian champs in two years' time.' India's Krishan Kumar clocked 1:48.66 to clinch the last spot for the eight-man final, while Ko Ochiai of Japan topped the heats in 1:46.24. For now, Thiruben has some intermediate goals. '(My next target is) getting the national record down even more, putting it down to 1:48 or 1:47, and then, of course, going for the SEA Games, and being at least on the podium and hopefully for gold,' he said. Singapore Athletics (SA) president Lien Choong Luen said of Thiruben's feat: 'Another long-standing record broken, and the first Singaporean to dip below 1:50 ever. ' One of my personal favourite events, it was great to watch. Thiru has been knocking on the door all season and for it to come together at this major competition is simply the icing on the cake.' Thiruben, whose role as a marketing and sponsorships executive at SA includes creating social media content to celebrate the athletes' achievements and milestones, will now have to write his own post, something that he has been 'thinking about for a while'. Meanwhile, in the women's 200m, sprint queen Shanti Pereira is on track to defend her title in the final on May 31, having clocked 23.59sec to finish second overall in the heats, behind Japan's Remi Tsuruta (23.37sec) and ahead of China's Chen Yujie (23.60sec). Pereira, who won a 100m and 200m double in the 2023 edition in Thailand, had settled for silver in the 100m on May 28 after clocking 11.41sec, losing out to China's Liang Xiaojing by just 0.04sec. In the men's 400m hurdles, Calvin Quek registered 50.58sec to finish seventh out of 17 and qualified for the final on May 31. Melvyn Teoh is a sports journalist at The Straits Times. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
