SEA Games 2025: Shanti Pereira reigns in 200m to complete sprint double

With victory in the women's 200m, Shanti Pereira completed a sprint double for the second straight SEA Games. Photo: SNOC/ Kelly Wong

For the second successive SEA Games, Shanti Pereira reigns in the sprint events. She completed a sprint double on Dec 13 by cruising to victory in the women’s 200m in 23.05 seconds. 

She finished ahead of Vietnam’s Le Thi Cam Tu (23.14sec) and Zion Rose Nelson of the Philippines (23.50sec). 

It is a second gold medal of the Thailand Games for Pereira, who already took gold in the 100m dash two days earlier.

Despite holding firm to her crown as South-east Asia’s sprint queen, the Singaporean was left wanting with her finish. 

“I'm really happy I managed to win today, but kind of disappointed though,” the 29-year-old said at the Suphachalasai National Stadium.

“I wish I did a better time today. My training indicated I could definitely go faster, and so did my warm-up. But that's okay. The goal was to come here and defend my title, and we did that.” 

It is not hard to see why Pereira expected more from herself, having gone as fast as 22.81sec earlier in the season.

But she acknowledged the unpredictability of competition, no matter what the form book says. 

Pereira said she had hoped to clock a better time, but acknowledged that it was ultimately mission accomplished. Photo: SportSG/ Jeremy Lee

“You might be coming in as the best-seeded time and maybe the best person, best time all season. But so many things can happen here, and it's just so unpredictable,” she said.

Still, she can look back at her journey from Singapore unknown to Asean’s top name and be proud of how she has weathered the peaks, as well as the valleys.

On being routinely hailed as a “sprint queen” now, Pereira said “It comes with a lot of pressure, to have people call you that. But I choose to focus on the fact that it's a privilege. I'm really thankful that I'm even in this position, that I'm coming in as a favourite, coming in as a defending champion.

“I don't know when I will feel this way again. So for anyone that's maybe feeling the pressure a bit, soak in the moment when you can and just celebrate it.”

There was further cause for celebration in the men’s 200m, with Marc Brian Louis breaking his own national record twice en route to claiming a silver medal. 

Marc Brian Louis' silver in the men's 200m sprint is Singapore's first medal in the event since the 1993 edition. Photo: SportSG/ Jeremy Lee

He first clocked 20.88sec in the heats, improving on a 20.89sec mark, then posted a 20.72sec-effort in the final. He finished behind Thai sprint sensation Puripol Boonson (20.07sec) and just ahead of Malaysia’s Muhammas Roslee Danish Iftikhar (20.73sec). 

Louis’ medal is Singapore’s first in this event since the 1993 SEA Games. 

The feat is all the more impressive, considering this is the first time the 100m specialist is racing the 200m at any major Games. 

He said: “I run the 100m so much that it’s just another day of running to me. But the 200m is a new event to me, so I’m still learning a lot. There's still improvements that I can make, and I'm still in the learning process. I'm a bit more nervous going to the 200m.”

The medal comes after heartbreak two days ago, when the 23-year-old just missed out on a podium finish by finishing fourth in the 100m. 

Louis said: “Two days ago I didn’t medal in the 100m and that’s my favourite event. I was a little heartbroken. I had to move on, forget about that and prepare for today, perform and run my best. I did amazing, better than I thought. I'm super, super happy with the results.” 

Thiruben Thana Rajan in action in the men's 800m heats. He qualified for the final on Dec 15. Photo: SportSG/ Jeremy Lee

In the men’s 800m heats, Thiruben Thana Rajan earned passage to the final after clocking 1min 54.19sec to finish third in his heats. He races in the final on Dec 15.

The 33rd SEA Games are held in Thailand from 9 to 20 December 2025. For the latest Team Singapore coverage and news, follow Team Singapore on their social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) or visit the official Team Singapore website.