Thiruvananthapuram: Sprinter Veronica Shanti Pereira, who ended Singapore's long wait for a track and field gold medal at the Asian Games, has her roots in Kerala. Her grandfather N H Pereira hailed from Vettukad near Thiruvananthapuram. Her grandmother Eliyamma Pereira too was a native of the same village and the couple lived in Kochuthoppu, another coastal hamlet in the district.
After Pereira landed a job in Singapore, the couple migrated to the city-state where they lived for several decades. All their children, including Shanti's father Clarence Pereira, grew up in Singapore. Although the couple returned to Kerala after Pereira's retirement, their children stayed back. With the passing of her husband in 2012, Eliyamma too went back to Singapore. Shanti's close relatives – both from her maternal and paternal sides – still live in and around Vettukad.
On Monday, Shanti ended Singapore's 49-year wait for an athletics gold medal at the continental event as she claimed the women's 200m title at the ongoing Asian Games in Hangzhou. She clocked 23.03s to take the gold. Earlier, she had won silver in the 100m sprint event with a timing of 11.27s. The last time Singapore won an athletics gold at the Asian Games was way back in 1974 when Chee Swee Lee won the women's 400m race.
The 27-year-old is hailed as one of the greatest sportspersons in Singapore's history. She has been in excellent form through 2023. In July, she created history by winning the sprint double at the Asian Athletics Championships held in Bangkok. Shanti clocked 11.20s to win the 100m title, while she secured gold in 200m with a championship record of 22.70s to finish ahead of India's Jyothi Yarraji (23.13s).
Last month in Budapest, Shanti made it to the 200m semifinals at the World Athletics Championships and became the first Singaporean to achieve that feat. She has also met the Olympics qualifying mark for the event.
