☰
 
 30-year record holder 

G. SHANTI

I'm G. Shanti

Shanti Govindasamy is arguably Malaysia's comeback Queen of athletics. Retiring prematurely from athletics in 1993, Shanti made a dramatic return four years later, to be crowned Southeast Asia's fastest woman.
Born in 1967 in Kuala Kangsar, Perak, G. Shanti as she is popularly known, was the youngest of 12 children. Her fascination with sports began at a very young age, as she admired and envied her older brothers who won a string of trophies. Shanti was determined to do the same.
Athletics was not her first sport. Shanti started off as a hockey goalkeeper for her school team, and made it all the way up to the national side. When Shanti was representing Malaysia in the 1986 Seoul Asian Games hockey finals, national officials noticed her talent for sprints and suggested she try out athletics.

"When I represented Malaysia, I was 23 years old. So many people told me: you are quite old to start athletics... I say NO!" 

Under Maybank athletics coach Ishtiaq Mubarak and later national coach Harun Rasheed, Shanti quickly rose to become one of the fastest women in Malaysia, specializing in the 100 and 200 metres.
Shanti made her first international appearance at the 1989 KL SEA Games, but she was largely unnoticed. But at the 1991 Manila SEA Games, when she pipped then reigning Southeast Asian track queen Lydia de Vega in the 200 metres and narrowly lost to her in the 100 metres, G. Shanti began to be taken seriously.
After credible performances in the IAAF Championships and the Asian Track & Field competition, Shanti prepared for another face-off with Lydia at the 1993 Singapore SEA Games, but lost both her events to the Filipina. 

"It's not much but I still lost"

Shanti ended 1993, by setting a new national record in the 100 metres - 11.5 seconds. In 1995, at the age of 28, G. Shanti retired from athletics, despondent for not achieving her dream of winning both the 100 metres and the 200 metres in the same international competition.
After starting a family, Shanti made a comeback at the 1997 Jakarta SEA Games. 

At the age of 30, she won the Gold in both the 100 metres and the 200 metres.

She had finally achieved what no Malaysian woman has done since - victory in both sprints in the same international competition. 

In 1998, she was voted National Sportswoman of the Year.

Both her 100-metres national record of 11.5 seconds set in 1993, and the 200-metres record of 23.37 seconds set in 1998, remain unbroken till today.
Shanti has also won medals in the 4 x 100 metres and the 4 x 400 metres at the SEA Games and the Asian Games and a bronze in the 100 metres in the 1998 Asian Athletics Championships.

"I came back for both of these, and then I achieved it. I think I really deserved it."

TIPS AND TREATS

The Champion In Me

Focus on your run
It's all hardwork
Be brave, self confident

We Were Champions

Athletics

Achievements

1989 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games
-  100m (Bronze)  -
-  4 x 400m (Silver)  -

1990 Beijing Asian Games
-  4 x 400m (Bronze)  -
-  100m (4th)  -
-  200m (4th)  -

1991 Manila SEA Games
-  100m (Silver)  -
-  200m (Gold)  -

1991 International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) Tokyo
-  100m(2nd round)  -
-  200m(2nd round)  -

━━━━━━━━━━
1993 Singapore SEA Games
-  4 x 400m (Gold)  -
-  100m (Silver)  -
(11.5  -  NR)
-  200m (Silver)  -
━━━━━━━━━━

1993 Asian Track and Field Championships, Manila
-  4 x 400m (Bronze)  -

1993 World Indoor Championships, Canada

1994 Commonwealth Games
Victoria
-  100m (semi-finals)  -

1997 Jakarta SEA Games

-  100m (Gold)  -
-  200m (Gold)  -
-  4 x 400m (Silver)  -

1998 Asian Athletics Championships Fukuoka
-  100m (Bronze)  -
-  200m (4th)  -
(23.37  -  NR)

1998 Asian Games Bangkok

-  100m (4th)  -
-  200m (4th)  -

1998 Commonwealth Games
Kuala Lumpur

-  100m (semi-finals)  -
-  200m (semi-finals)  -

1998
Malaysian Sportswoman
of the Year

Home  /  Contact Us

© Copyright Code Computer Design Sdn. Bhd. 2021