Shanti Pereira finishes last in group at 200m sprint heats
Singaporean national sprinter Shanti Pereira came in last in her group during the 200m sprint heats.
Despite this, the sprint queen is getting another opportunity to vie for a place in the women’s 200m semi-finals at the Paris Olympics.
Pereira qualified for the repechage round following her performance in the heats, completing the sprint in 23.21 seconds at Stade de France on Thursday (4 Aug).
Shanti Pereira clocks 23.21 seconds in the 200m sprint heats
Despite finishing last in her heat, the 27-year-old held her own in a globally competitive lineup. She placed 31st out of 45 contestants in a race where American Brittany Brown, Jamaica’s Lanae-Tava Thomas, and Britain’s Bianca Williams secured their semi-final spots directly by finishing 22.38, 22.70, and 22.77 seconds respectively.
The top qualifier was Gabrielle Thomas from the United States, who recorded a swift 22.20 seconds. Closely following were Nigeria’s Favour Ofili and Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, the second and third quickest in the heats respectively.
Gets another chance to vie for semi-finals on 5 Aug
Pereira’s Olympic journey in Paris has been notable, commencing with the 100m event on 2 Aug, where she posted a time of 11.63 seconds, ranking 55th out of 72 sprinters.
As Pereira progresses to the repechage round scheduled for Monday (5 Aug), she continues her pursuit of Olympic success. The repechage, a new addition introduced by World Athletics for several track events at the Paris Games, offers a second chance for athletes to qualify for subsequent rounds.
This marks Pereira’s second appearance at the Olympics, following her debut at the Tokyo Games, where she completed her 200m heat at 23.96 seconds.
Unfortunately, in April this year, she suffered a stress injury in her fibula that put her Olympics preparation on hold, causing her to miss competing in the Diamond League competition.
Also read: Shanti Pereira & Ryan Lo lead 29-member S’pore contingent in Paris Olympics opening ceremony
Shanti Pereira & Ryan Lo lead 29-member S’pore contingent in Paris Olympics opening ceremony
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Featured image adapted from Team Singapore on Facebook and Sport Singapore on The Straits Times.
