Singapore sprinter sets eyes on world championship after beating European champion

Pereira finished her 200 m run in 23.32 seconds on Sunday and bested Luckenkemper, the current European 100 m and 4x100 m relay champion, by just 0.09 seconds.

"It’s more just gaining competition experience and learning how to execute in this kind of high-pressure competition because that’s what it’s going to be like when I compete at Worlds and at the Asian Games," Pereira told The Strait Times.

Before heading to the World Athletics Championships, which will take place in Budapest, Hungary from August 19 to 27, Pereira will compete in the Folksam Grand Prix in Malmo, Sweden on August 5 and Copenhagen, Denmark on August 9.

In addition to the World Athletics Championships, Pereira still has one more big tournament, the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, which will take place from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8.

Her coach Luis Cunha told The Strait Times the world championships and Asian Games would be Pereira’s most important goals this year.

Pereira made history last month in Bangkok as the first Singapore athlete to win a gold medal at the Asian Athletics Championships after finishing the 100 m in 11.20 seconds.