Shanti Pereira Becomes First Woman to Ever Win Consecutive Asian Games 200m Titles

Singapore sprint queen Shanti Pereira made Asian Games history after successfully defending her women's 200m title at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, becoming the first woman to win consecutive titles in the event.

The 30-year-old powered to gold at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium on Sept 27, clocking a season-best 22.78 seconds.

China's Chen Yujie finished second in 22.93sec, while India's Harita Bhadra took bronze in 23.20sec.

Pereira's victory marked the first time a woman has won back-to-back 200m titles in Asian Games history.

While five male sprinters have previously achieved consecutive victories in the event, no female athlete had done so since the Games began in 1951.

The victory came just two days after Pereira secured silver in the women's 100m, finishing in a season-best 11.21sec.

Chen took gold in an Asian Games record of 1106sec, while Bahrain's Edidiong Odiong finished third in 1133sec.

It mirrors Pereira's performance at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, where she also won 100m silver and 200m gold.

Her 200m victory there in 2023 ended Singapore's 49-year wait for an Asian Games athletics gold medal.

With her two medals in Nagoya, Pereira now has four Asian Games medals - two golds and two silvers, cementing another milestone in her career as Singapore's leading sprinter.