The negativity ate her up, added Pereira. It got to the point that there were times when she was no longer excited to compete or even train. Instead, what she felt was fear.
But she never gave up.
“No matter what down I had, I just kept going I guess, because I knew this is what I wanted to do, this is what I love to do, to hopefully one day be in this kind of position,” she said.
“This exact position, never thought about it … but I’ve always dreamed of it, and I’m here and I’m living it. It has been amazing.”
With support from her family and the guidance of coach Luis Cunha, she bounced back at the 2022 SEA Games, clinching gold in the 200m and silver in the 100m.