Indian-origin Pereira wins Singapore's first gold in Asian Games athletics in 49 years
Singapore (PTI): Singapore is celebrating its first athletic gold win in 49 years at the Asian Games with its Indian-origin sprinter Shanti Pereira winning the women's 200m final in Hangzhou, China.
Pereira clocked 23.03 seconds to finish the race on Monday at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium. This is the first athletics gold medal for the city-state since 1974, when sprinter Chee Swee Lee had won the women's 400m race.
China's Li Yuting took the silver with 23.28 seconds and Bahrain's Edidiong Ofonime Odiong came third at 23.48 seconds in the Monday race. Odiong's compatriot, Salwa Eid Naser, was disqualified for a false start.
Draped in a Singapore flag, the 27-year-old crouched down on the track and covered her face with her hands, before raising her arms in victory, reported Channel News Asia.
On Saturday, Pereira ended her country's nearly 50-year wait for a track and field medal at the Asian Games, after she clinched a silver in the women's 100m.
Pereira, whose 200m personal best stands at 22.57 seconds, then topped all three heats for the event the next day, with a time of 23.14 seconds.
This was her first Asian Games 200m final. At the last edition in 2018, she did not advance past the semi-finals.
The Singaporean has overcome much to get to where she is today, said the Channel report.
She first burst into the nation's consciousness at the 2015 Southeast Asian Games when she took gold in the 200m, clocked a personal best, and set a new national record. Her win also ended a 42-year gold medal drought for Singapore in a SEA Games sprint event.
In August, Pereira became the first Singaporean to make a World Championships semi-finals after a stellar showing in the 200m. She also met the qualifying mark for the event at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Delhi remains warm, temperature hits 30.5 degrees C
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi remained warmer than usual on Monday, with no rainfall reported across key weather stations, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
According to the IMD, Safdarjung, the city's base station, recorded a maximum temperature of 30.5 degrees Celsius, clocking five degrees above normal temperature, while the minimum settled at 11.8 degrees Celsius. The Ridge area was the warmest at 31 degrees Celsius, followed by Ayanagar at 30.4 degrees Celsius and Lodi Road at 30.1 degrees Celsius. Palam recorded a comparatively lower maximum of 28.6 degrees Celsius.
While the Safdarjung weather station recorded a minimum of 11.8 degrees Celsius, Palam recorded 13 degrees Celsius, and Lodhi Road recorded 12 degrees Celsius, according to IMD data.
The weather department has predicted mist on Tuesday with the maximum and minimum temperatures expected to reach around 30 and 13 degrees Celsius, respectively. The IMD said no rainfall was recorded in the region during the observation period, indicating continued dry weather conditions.
The air quality was recorded in the 'poor' category, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 221, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.
