SMU alumna Shanti Pereira was crowned South-east Asia’s top woman sprinter after claiming two golds in the 100m and 200m at the Cambodia SEA Games. She battled “a very big identity crisis”, which saw her spiralling to the lowest point of her life in 2021. After graduating from SMU with an accounting degree, she was poised to enter the next phase of her life, but found herself uncertain about what lay ahead. She did not want to pursue a career in accountancy and with her struggles for form on the track, she was lost on both fronts and fell into a deep funk. In 2022, Pereira had enough and decided to channel her energy to focus on herself and her training. The love and support from her “rocks” – her parents, siblings and boyfriend, former runner Tan Zong Yang – was crucial too. Having Luis Cunha come on board as her coach in 2020 was a big boost as well as consistent sessions with the Portuguese began to show results. After a week of rest, she will travel to Germany and Switzerland next week for meets before the July 12-16 Asian Athletics Championships in Thailand and the Hangzhou Asian Games from Sept 23-Oct 8.
Related: Pereira in pause mode
The Straits Times, pB16 (May 14)
The Straits Times Online (May 14)
SEA Games 2023: Being called a ‘has-been’ hurt, but Shanti Pereira is smiling now
The Straits Times Online (May 14)
The Straits Times Online (May 14)