Shanti misses new 100m national record

She had been waiting almost a year to record a personal best time in the women's 100m.

Shanti Pereira, who holds the national record of 11.89sec, thought she had set a new national mark at the Asian Junior Athletics Championships in Taiwan yesterday, when she clocked 11.79 to finish third in the final.

But the 17-year-old was denied a new national record because of wind conditions, which were recorded at +3m/s.

According to IAAF regulations, sprint and jump performances with a wind-speed that exceeds +2.0m/s cannot be ratified for records.

"I'm both happy and sad," Shanti told The New Paper after her race.

"I finally got a new personal best and also won bronze, but it's really disappointing that the wind (conditions) meant I couldn't set a new national record.

"Before the race, the wind was blowing my hair all over the place, but I thought it was just head wind.

RAN WELL

"I ran really well, and then found that the time wouldn't count."

Shanti, who set the national record at last year's IAAF World Youth Championships in Ukraine, finished third behind two Chinese runners, who clocked 11.58 and 11.64, respectively.

Her next international event is the IAAF World Junior Championships in Oregon, United States, next month, and she's confident she can set a new record there.

"The last time I ran in a world event, I broke the record. And that's because of the push I got from the other runners," said Shanti, who also holds the 200m record of 24.12sec.

"The best junior runners in the world will compete there and they all have crazy times, so I think I can boost myself running next to them."

Zubin Muncherji, who on Thursday clocked 47.29sec to break the men's 400m national record which had stood for 40 years, finished fifth in the final yesterday with a time of 47.74.

The 17-year-old Anglo Chinese Junior College student was second at the 350m mark, but fell behind as the finishing line approached.

The winning time was 47.31sec.

TIRED

"I was feeling really tired after Thursday's semi-final," said Zubin, who qualified for the final with the second-fastest time.

"I was expecting a medal because I was the second fastest going in, but fatigue really got to me.

"Also, it was hotter yesterday. On Thursday we ran at 5.25pm; yesterday we started at 3.40pm.

"It's a real disappointment because if I had run my personal best, I would have won."

Like Shanti, Zubin will have another opportunity at the World Juniors.

Having made great strides since last year - when his best time was 48.59 at the national schools - Zubin is confident of going below 47 seconds before the South-east Asia Games here next June.

"I'll get there soon enough," he said.

"For now, I'm just glad to return home with a national record, which I really didn't expect before I left."