I'M NOT GIVING UP: PEREIRA

Frustrated as her Olympics end with a poor 200m, she vows to return stronger in 2028

- David Lee

PARIS Wistfully, Shanti Pereira looked up at the Stade de France scoreboard, finding herself in an unfamiliar position last out of seven runners in her 200m race and perhaps wondering what could have been.

Championships and She had been on such a high in 2023, winning titles at the Asian Athletics Asian Games, and earning her Paris spot with her national record of 22.57sec at the World Athletics Championships.

But her purple patch disappeared on Aug 5 as she zipped down Lane 3 in the sprawling 80,000-seater stadium.

She ended her Olympic campaign with a disappointing 23.45sec in the repechage and missed out on her target of reaching the semi-finals, as Canada's Jacqueline Madogo won the heat with a personal-best 22.58.

The repechage is a new Olympic format introduced by World Athletics for athletes who did not qualify directly for the semi-finals through the heats in the 100m/110m hurdles, 200m, 400m, 400m hurdles, 800m and 1,500m.

Pereira was in the repechage after clocking 23.21 in Round 1 to come in last in Heat 5- and 31st out of 45 runners - on Aug 4. She eventually placed 18th among the field of 24 in the repechage.