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SEA Games: Shanti out to prove 2015 gold was no fluke

SINGAPORE — Few had expected Shanti Pereira to win the 200m sprint gold at the 2015 South-east Asian Games (SEA Games).

Shanti Pereira. TODAY file photo

Shanti Pereira. TODAY file photo

SINGAPORE — Few had expected Shanti Pereira to win the 200m sprint gold at the 2015 South-east Asian Games (SEA Games).

Even the then-18-year-old was surprised by her historic win which ended Singapore’s 42-year wait for a SEA Games gold medal in a sprint event. “I definitely did not expect a gold medal. My goal was to catch whoever was in front of me,” she told the media after the race.

Two years on, Shanti’s path to defending her crown has not been smooth. But the sprint queen is still out to prove her win was no fluke.

“I want to prove to myself and everybody that it wasn’t a one-time thing,” she said in a video posted on Singtel’s Facebook page on Monday (Aug 21).

Shanti admitted that after the 2015 SEA Games, she was in the “wrong kind of mindset”. Pressure from her gold-medal triumph saw the 20-year-old struggling to recapture her winning form, and her confidence took a hit.

Pereira though worked with sports scientists, psychologists and staff from the Singapore Sports Institute (SSI) to not just boost her confidence but improve her stamina and posture for optimal performance.

She has also trained hard, attending a training session in Germany last year where she was able to refine her running technique, as well as pick up a few new pointers which she believes will benefit her in the long run.

“I have to admit that my running techniques weren’t that good previously, but yet I managed to hit the times I did,” she told TODAY last year.

“But now with a good running technique, hopefully I’ll be able to go even faster and set new personal bests (PBs).”

Shanti’s Singtel video is part of an ongoing series profiling six local sporting heroes. The other athletes to be featured include Joseph Schooling (Swimming), Loh Zhi Zhi (Water Polo), Mark Leong (Water Ski), Nur Alfian (Silat), and Shayna Ng (Bowling).

The videos will see the athletes talk about their motivations and vulnerabilities representing Singapore at the regional meet.

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