She liked the idea of team spirit, which explains why she favoured hockey over athletics in her early school years, even though her brother was national sprinter G. Sivalingam.
She excelled in hockey and was selected to represent Perak in 1984. Within two years, she was good enough to make the national team to the Asian Games.
Although the national team finished fourth, her on-field play caught the attention of athletics coach Ishtiaq Mubarak. Shanti’s running technique, it was decided, would be perfect for sprints.
While working in a local bank, Shanti decided to give sprints a shot by participating in an Inter-Bank meet. Her courtship with sprints moved one notch higher when she was selected to represent Selangor in 1987.
A believer in the adage, No Pain No Gain, Shanti pushed herself on a ritual of pumping iron, explosive drills, hard running practices and endurance training.
Shanti’s first exposure to international competition came in 1989 at the KL SEA Games. She managed to win only one Silver medal in the 4X100m relay. She also failed to make a mark at the Beijing Asian Games.
After a series of disasters and false starts, Shanti, at the age of 30, made stunning return at the 1997 Jakarta SEA Games by winning the 100m Gold, ending a 16-year dry spell for Malaysian women.
She also won the Gold in the 200m event.Her victories in Jakarta made her the fastest woman in South-East Asia and it was a fitting tribute that she was honoured as Sportswoman of the Year in 1998.
The best part was, she came back in 1997 after giving birth to her 1st child and became super mum on the track.
G. Shanti lived by her personal motto : Never give up on your dreams.
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