There is little doubt that 2023 has been the year for Singapore's Sprint Queen, Shanti Pereira.
The 27-year-old ended the season with a gold medal in the 2023 Asian Games' 200m sprint, making it Singapore's first athletics gold medal since 1974.
The day before that, Pereira clinched the silver in the 100m sprint.
Before that, she was rewriting her own national record multiple times, beating European champions, and snagging gold in both the 100m and 200m race at the SEA Games in May.
To top it all off, Pereira has qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics, thanks to her timing of 22.57s in the 200m race at the World Athletics Championships in August.
In short, nothing less than historic for Singapore's very own Sprint Queen.
Right before she headed off to train for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Pereira sat down with Mothership in October and reflected on her past year while looking forward to her future.
Track and field is basically her life
Growing up, Pereira was first introduced to track and field when she was around nine years old, watching her big sister represent Singapore in youth competitions.
Watching her family come out in full force to cheer her sister in all her races, sparked Pereira's curiosity for the sport.
"It looked really fun whenever I go and watch her, so I wanted to try it out on my own," she shared, and that was where her love for track and field began.
Pereira was invited to join her track and field team in primary school as a CCA after winning the 100m and 400m sprints on Sports Day.
From there, Pereira pursued track and field throughout her years at the Singapore Sports School, clinching medals and breaking records.
In 2009, at the age of 12, she led her 4 x 400m relay team to a gold medal in Thailand after fending off a feisty challenger from Bangkok in the last lap.
Oh, and she took home three gold medals from that meet.
The following year at the 2010 National Track and Field Championships, Pereira, by virtue of sweeping three gold medals, pulled the Singapore Sports School team from fourth place to winning the championship for the first time in three years.
The wins aren't the only highlights.
Pereira has bested herself many times over the years, rewriting her 100m sprint national record six times. She has also improved her 200m timing four times.
As for national records, Pereira holds the fastest time in Singapore for the 100m sprint at 11.20s and 22.57s for the 200m sprint.
Track was, and continues to be her life, she joked. Even so, the road was far from easy.
Photo via Singapore Athletics/Facebook
A shift in mindset
Pereira admitted that she struggled with self-doubt for a long period of time. There was a point where she questioned why she was doing this sport, beating herself up mentally over the pressures of keeping up her winning streaks.
Pereira mentioned previously that she did not feel she was mentally "there" for the longest time as her self doubt grew over the years.
She shared that people began writing her off and losing faith in her. The negativity ate her up.
She had a habit of listening to what others were saying about her, that she was not good enough anymore, or maybe she was just a "one-hit wonder".
"The pressure ate at me for quite a bit, so it took me a really long time to try and find the love for the sport again," she said.
Then it hit her; it was her life, her journey, so she should not listen to any negative comments from others.
"I know that I love this sport... Honestly, I'm doing it for me and my support system. I think once I had that shift and realised that I was doing this for me, it shouldn't matter what anyone else was saying."
Despite all the pressure, Pereira has never hit a point where she wanted to quit the sport entirely. The thought may have crossed her mind, but she never felt pushed to leave the sport.
"I've always felt like this is something I felt like I was meant to do, and it's who I am."
Photo via Shanti Pereira/Instagram
Shifting gears to being a full-time athlete
This shift in mindset culminated with her decision to drop her full-time job as a copywriter in January 2023 and focus on training as a full-time athlete with the help of Sport Singapore's Sport Excellence Scholarship.
By transitioning to being a full-time athlete, she could cater more time and energy to the different aspects of training that are often overlooked, such as recovery and preparation for intense sessions.
Previously, she had to focus on school or work and training at the same time, which did not allow her to prioritise her recovery time even though it is as important as the training sessions.
In a year of new things, Pereira shared that she travelled a lot overseas for training and competitions, which she had never done before.
She got the opportunity to train with world-class athletes in New Zealand and Europe, where she was able to experience how these athletes train and to have training partners of that calibre.
A dream season
And it seems like this move has paid off.
Pereira has capped the year with her Asian Games gold medal, earning the honour of being "Asia's fastest woman" (a term which she is still trying to get used to) and ending Singapore's 49-year wait for an athletics gold medal in the Games.
"Ground-breaking. Dream. Sweet. Crazy. Exciting."
These were the five words that Pereira chose to describe her 2023 season. It has been a "dream" season as she had hit heights she never knew she would in her track career.
"I'm just very thankful for everything that happened this year and just excited to keep that going," she said.
So far, her favourite memory is of racing for Singapore at the World Athletics Championship in Budapest this year, as she was able to put Singapore on the map, in a place which did not know much about Singapore.
Next stop: Paris Olympics 2024
In the summer of 2024, Pereira will be in France competing with other top athletes in the world. She will be representing Singapore in the 200m sprint.
Pereira admitted that while it was a huge deal to qualify, she thankfully had the experience of performing at such a high level. She ran in a few World Championships and competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, finishing sixth in her heat.
With the Olympics being the only major competition in 2024, the planning process would be slightly easier as she is able to work with her coach to figure out which competitions to compete in.
"My coach and I are ready to take on the new season and just looking forward to how it turns out," she added.
Pereira with her coach Luis Cunha, photo via Shanti Pereira/Instagram
As for her goals for the Olympics, Pereira aims to place higher than the 17th position she achieved in the 2023 World Championship.
Finding people who know what she wants to achieve
Off the track and away from the pressures of competition, it's not easy to juggle a social life and being a full-time athlete.
Pereira shared that she needs to surround herself with people who can accept her unconventional life and timetable.
"It's really to just have people around me that understand and live my life with me," Pereira added, though she admitted that it is not something one can easily do and is grateful that those around her do understand.
Photo via Shanti Pereira/Instagram
Despite her commitment to the sport, she does not feel like she is missing out on anything much, as she balances her social life as much as she can.
When she is not on the track competing, she spends time with her family and friends whenever she is in the country. She hangs out with them at cafes or home, watching Netflix or Disney+.
Athletes are not always "on a high"
While sports in Singapore is gaining traction and people are supporting athletes in the best way possible, Pereira has a word of advice: People should understand that being an athlete does not mean they are always "on a high" every single time they compete.
"You are not going to be in the best shape of your life every single season, because that's just how it works. You are not going to be your best everyday. People should understand that it is a process. It's not just, you go there and run, and you try and get a personal best. There are so many things that go into it as well."
Top images via SNOC/Kong Chong Yew & Instagram