Sprint queen Shanti Pereira and kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder were among the winners of the Singapore Sports Awards held on Jun. 3, 2024, at Orchard Hotel Singapore.
Pereira, aged 27, won the Sportswoman of the Year award, while Maeder, aged 17, took home the Sportsboy of the Year award.
This is Pereira's first time winning the award, while it is Maeder's third consecutive time since 2022.
In addition, Pereira's coach, Luis Filipe Vitorino Cunha, also won the award for Coach of the Year.
Bowler Darren Ong won Sportsman of the Year, while Zeanne Law won Sportsgirl of the Year for Wushu.
Pereira calls award "huge honour", thanks coach
Pereira, who was not present at the ceremony as she is currently preparing for the Olympics in Europe, called the award a "huge" honour and said it was her first time being nominated, let along winning it, according to The Straits Times.
She also expressed gratitude to her coach, Cunha, and was quoted as saying:
"I’m very thankful to my coach. He is extremely deserving of his Coach of the Year award, I’m so glad he is being recognised for his efforts in my journey, as well as the impact he has made for Singapore athletics as a whole and my entire support system for getting me here."
2023 was a great year for the sprinter, who had a haul of five gold medals and a silver at major meets.
In August 2023, she earned a Paris Olympics spot when she became the first Singaporean to reach the semi-finals of the world championships.
At the Hangzhou Asian Games, she won the 100m silver and 200m gold to become the first Singaporean to clinch an Asiad athletics title since Chee Swee Lee in 1974.
On Mar. 30, 2024, she took part in the 400m race at the Florida Relays — and broke the national record.
She achieved a timing of 53.67 seconds, breaking the 54.18 seconds mark set by Dipna Lim-Prasad, who went on to clinch a silver medal at the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.
Maeder says he is "completely ecstatic"
As for Maeder, he was quoted by The Straits Times as saying:
"I’m completely ecstatic – it’s completely different when I get to be here and see so many people support me on my journey and so many people support athletes on their journeys."
"It instils you with such inspiration and a will to continue to do what you love to do, and I hope that all the athletes experience the same thing," he added.
Maeder also cited meeting the 2016 Olympic Champion, Joseph Schooling, as one of his highlights of the night.
On Mar. 24, 2024, Maeder won gold at the 2024 Formula Kite European Championships in Mar Menor, Spain.
Maeder is also preparing for the Olympics in August 2024.
In August 2023, Maeder won gold in the men's kite event at the Sailing World Championships in the Netherlands.
The win secured a quota spot for Singapore at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
He also clinched his third consecutive title at the Formula Kite Youth World Championships and a gold medal at the Asian Games in China in 2023.
Maeder and Pereira feted by Singapore National Olympic Council President Grace Fu
Both Maeder and Pereira were feted by the President of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC), Grace Fu, in her speech at the awards ceremony for their "significant achievements", CNA reported.
On Pereira, Fu said:
"Shanti Pereira’s feats at the Asian Games silenced the nation. Her relentless pursuit of excellence brought her immense success on the track...She showed us that with hard work and determination, anything is possible."
As for Maeder, she was quoted as saying:
"Max Maeder’s triumph in kitefoiling has been nothing short of spectacular … His achievements highlight his talent and sacrifices, and Max has set new benchmarks for Singapore sport."
The Singapore Sports Awards are organized by the SNOC and Sport Singapore (SportSG) and supported by the Tote Board.
Top left photo via Edwin Tong/Facebook, right photo via International Kiteboarding Association