May 08, 2023, 05:57 PM
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Singapore sprint queen Shanti Pereira has successfully retained her 200m crown at the 32nd SEA Games in Phnom Penh.
At the finals on May 8, the 26-year-old clocked a blistering timing of 22.69 seconds to win Singapore's first gold medal in athletics in this year's SEA Games.
In doing so, she broke her previous personal best of 22.89 seconds, which she set at the Australian Open Track and Field Championships in Brisbane this April.
This is also a new national mark for the women's 200m, as well as a new SEA Games record.
Successfully defended 200m title
Pereira came into the event as the clear favourite, and did not disappoint.
Previously, the sprinter claimed the 200m gold in the 2022 Hanoi Games, and successfully retained her title with today's effort.
The race was delayed because of a false start from a sprinter from Thailand, who was subsequently disqualified.
During the race, the defending champion put in a dominating performance.
MeWatch screengrab
She put on the jets after the 100m mark to put distance between herself and her competitors, and was nearly one second faster than her Vietnamese counterpart in second place.
What's next
All eyes will be on Pereira as she chases a historic sprint double in the women's 100m on Friday.
In that event, she will be competing against the likes of 100m defending champion, Kayla Richardson from the Philippines.
She will also be competing in the women's 4x100m relay on Wednesday.
Top screengrab via MeWatch.
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