'Filled with a lot of pride': Singapore's Shanti Pereira returns home after making history at Asian Games - CNA

Shanti Pereira is the first woman to retain the Asian Games 200m title.

Shanti Pereira and her coach Luis Cunha arriving at Changi Airport Terminal 3 after the Asian Games, Oct 1, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Alyssa Tan)

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Ang Hwee Min 01 Oct 2026 05:16PM (Updated: 01 Oct 2026 09:06PM) Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST SINGAPORE: Singapore sprinter Shanti Pereira returned home triumphant on Thursday (Oct 1), fresh from winning two medals at the 2026 Asian Games.

A small group of supporters gathered at the arrival hall of Changi Airport Terminal 3 to welcome her and other athletes with loud cheers.

"I'm generally always happy to come home after the major Games. I'm filled with a lot of pride, a lot of honour from the results of the past week," she told reporters at the airport.

"I'm still soaking it in – maybe not all the way through – and I'm just celebrating all the success that happened last week."

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less Pereira successfully defended her Asian Games 200m title on Sep 27, becoming the first woman to win the event twice. The Singaporean clocked 22.78s, matching her season's best.

Just two days before, she took silver in the 100m with a season's best time of 11.21s, just 0.01s shy of her national record. She also won silver in the event at the previous edition of the Games.

When asked about her immediate plans, she said that now that the season has ended, she would be taking a break, going on a holiday and getting married.

"I can never get used to it (the reception when she comes home) ... It always feels surreal, always feels special, I'm just thankful everyone came out," she said.

Every meet gets tougher as the sport grows more popular, with more athletes joining the sport, she added. "Every time you go for the Games, you just have to bring your A-game no matter what." 

As an athlete who has been active for so long, people are always watching her, which made this competition a bit harder, needing a lot more mental preparation, she acknowledged. 

"But I just took it like I'm one of these guys and I had to fight for a spot on the podium. Not just on the podium, but at the top."