Shanti Pereira makes history, first Singaporean into Commonwealth Games sprint final

Singaporean sprinter Shanti Pereira has made history by becoming the first from her nation to qualify for an individual sprint final at the Commonwealth Games. She achieved this milestone by clocking a season-best time of 22.81 seconds in the women's 200m semi-finals in Glasgow.

Pereira's performance secured her eighth overall spot, automatically qualifying her for the final. She expressed her happiness at breaking the 23-second barrier, a goal she has pursued for a long time. "After I coming out of (the previous) two races, I knew I had so much more in me and I knew I could put up a performance today," she said. "(To finish) under 23s, I'm so happy. It's been such a long time coming."

“

After I coming out of (the previous) two races, I knew I had so much more in me and I knew I could put up a performance today. (To finish) under 23s, I'm so happy. It's been such a long time coming.

The reigning Asian Games champion in the 200m, Pereira also holds the national record of 22.57 seconds. Earlier in the competition, she had qualified for the semi-finals with a time of 23.00 seconds. She also reached the 100m semi-finals, running her fastest time of the season at 11.24 seconds.

Pereira's success builds on her achievements at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and her dominant performance at the 2023 SEA Games, where she secured a sprint double in both the 100m and 200m events. She is now looking forward to the 200m final on Saturday.

“

It's another race, it's another opportunity, it's another chance to run in this stadium which (has) a really good track and really good atmosphere. I'm just excited, I can't wait.