If you had asked coach Luis Cunha at the beginning of this year whether Shanti Pereira would break many records and become the fastest woman in Asia, the answer would have been a firm “no”.
“I always knew she could win big but there were problems hindering her,” the former Portuguese sprinter and three-time Olympian told tabla!.
“But for the first time – before the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok last week – I was expecting something big. She had high chances of winning both the races.
“I expected her to win the 200m. But it was her eighth race and I didn’t know if she could recover in time. Shanti proved that she could do it, and I am so happy.”
According to Cunha, “a bunch of little things” helped Pereira hit top form.
“The important thing is that her mindset has changed. She has shed some of her ‘bad’ habits. She has identified what needs to be done to perform better. She has better routines now. She understands that she has to be an athlete 24/7.”
Cunha added that more than any major change to her technique, it was important to make Pereira mentally stronger.
“Train, compete, recover – that has been the philosophy. Before a major competition like SEA Games, she trained and competed in New Zealand and Australia, and that produced results,” he explained.
“The same will happen before the World Athletics Championships next month and the Asian Games in September.
“Competing against the best in the world in European competitions can help her. It is a completely different level from what she faces at home and in Asia.”
A few years ago, Cunha would have felt that there was no point in Pereira competing in the World Athletics Championships. “But this time is different, she can use the event to build her confidence as it is a totally different level,” he said.
The coach is confident that Pereira can do well at the Asian Games.
“The training will be the same but it is very important that she remains free of injuries,” he said.
“If she maintains her health, she will continue to do well.”
V.K. Santosh Kumar
