SINGAPORE: Sprint Queen Veronica Shanti Pereira was 0.05s seconds from qualifying for the semifinal round of the Women’s 100-meter race at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023 on Sunday (Aug 20). Her time was 11.33 seconds.
On Wednesday (Aug 23), the runner is set to compete in the 200-meter heats at 6:05 pm local time, Singapore Athletics said in a Facebook post.
On Sunday, despite running her fourth fastest time ever, she did not make it to the next round. Nevertheless, Shanti placed “highly respectable 31st overall out of 56 competitors,” and she “lived up to her billing as the continent’s fastest woman, achieving the highest placing out of all of the Asian athletes who took part in Women’s 100m.”
The 26-year-old runner remained upbeat after the race, saying she was “Really happy with the race today.”
“Could have been executed a bit better, but really thankful I got a chance to race here with stellar athletes like Dina as I’ve been a fan for the longest time. Overall, it was amazing and I can’t wait for the 200,” The Straits Times quotes her as saying.
Shanti was referring to Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, whose time of 11.04 sec meant she came in second to America’s Brittany Brown at 11.01 sec in Heat 2, which Asia’s Sprint Queen also ran.
Her coach, Mr Luis Cunha, was also happy with Shanti’s run, telling ST, “She continues to be the fastest Asian and this was a good indicator for us for the Asian Games and the upcoming 200 meter.”
He also pointed out a benefit of Ms Pereira running with the best in the world, saying that it has been good for her confidence.
It’s been a stellar year for Shanti. At the SEA Games in May, she clocked a time of 11.41 seconds in the 100m event and set a new game and national record in the 200m race with 22.69 seconds.
In mid-July, she claimed back-to-back wins at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok in the 100 and 200-meter races, breaking the national record for the 100-meter with a time of 11.20 seconds. /TISG
Asian Games 2023 complete team list: Shanti, Kean Yew + 429 other athletes represent Singapore