Only two wins separate Filipina tanker Kayla Sanchez and a medal finish in Paris 2024.
Kayla Sanchez only wanted one chance to prove to the world that repping the Philippine flag was the right decision.
She was right after all.
“I’m just waiting for my opportunity to show everyone what I can do,” Sanchez bared in the aftermath of her first taste of Olympic action as a member of Team Philippines.
The 23-year-old earned her place in the semifinals of the women’s 100-meter freestyle after finishing at joint 10th with English swimmer Anna Hopkin in the heats by virtue of a new Philippine record of 53.67 seconds.
[ALSO READ: Paris 2024: Kayla Sanchez barges into women's 100-meter freestyle semifinals after resetting national record]
She was one of the quickest off the blocks, immediately pushing the pace and positioning herself in third place with a split time of 25.63 seconds at the 50-meter mark.
As the race progressed, Sanchez maintained her momentum and despite a strong challenge from the USA’s Torri Huske, Sanchez’s determination and focus allowed her to hold on to a competitive position.
With that impressive performance, the Filipina-Canadian shattered her previous national record of 54.25 seconds set a month ago in a competition in Canada as she made the 16-swimmer cutoff for the semifinals.
“I managed to squeeze through the semifinals and that was a good swim. I think that we’re able to execute really well.” Sanchez spoke.
She also credited her coach for a well-planned preparation in her first Olympic action in three years.
[It’s all about] execution. My coach and I are working diligently on our plan and every practice was visualizing the race and how this is gonna help me perform better.
The two-time medal winner in Tokyo 2020 will compete early tomorrow morning, July 31, at 3:30 am for a spot in the medal rounds.