SINGAPORE — Having overcome athree-month injury lay-off earlier this year, national sprinter Dipna Lim-Prasad returned to form with a bang yesterday morning as she posted a new personal best time of 55.59s in the 400m race at the San Antonio International Meet in Lisbon, Portugal.

It was the first time the 25-year-old had broken the 56s barrier in the event. But Lim-Prasad does not intend to rest on her laurels after her latest achievement.

In fact, her sterling performance has reignited her dream of breaking the 400m national record of 55.08s set by Chee Swee Lee in 1974, although she admits it will be an uphill task.

“Breaking the 400m record has always been something I wanted to do, but after my ankle injury this year, which kept me out for some time, I had to put that (dream) on the backburner,” Lim-Prasad told TODAY.

“It has taken me quite some time to go below 56s, so it would be naive to think that cutting another 0.5s to beat the national record would be easy. Right now, I’m just focusing on myself and listening to my body because I don’t want a recurrence of my injury.

“But breaking the national record is the direction I’m headed in. I’m working extra hard every day to try and chip away at my timing and hopefully, I’ll be able to achieve that goal in time to come.”

Lim-Prasad, who won silver in the 400m hurdles at the SEA Games on home soil last year, has spent the past three weeks training in Lisbon, and will compete at the Portugal championships next weekend in Maia.

Before her training stint in Portugal, however, she was awarded the Athlete Career and Training (ACT) grant by Sport Singapore (SportSG). The grant aims to help Singapore’s elite athletes “fulfil their highest sporting potential and develop essential life-skills by providing financial assistance”.

Under the scheme, Lim-Prasad will be reimbursed for some expenses she incurs during her training. For example, the cost of her stint in Portugal will be covered by SportSG.

Lim-Prasad said this funding has allowed her to fully concentrate on her training, as she works towards making an impact at next year’s SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, as well as the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.

“I was awarded the ACT grant by SportSG days before flying here, and it was a big boost to my confidence and performances not needing to worry about the financial aspects of my training,” explained Lim-Prasad.

“It’s so important to be able to completely focus on your training and competitions, and I think this month-long stint in Portugal has allowed me to do so and enabled me to clock my personal best.

“I can’t practise my hurdles this year as I make a full recovery from my ankle injury, so my aim now will be to better my 400m race. This will leave me in a good position when I return to hurdles at next year’s SEA Games and the 2018 Asian Games.”