Kayla Sanchez ended her rousing Olympic debut for the Philippines, closing out her campaign in 15th place out of 16 semifinalists in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 women’s 100-meter freestyle with a time of 54.21 seconds.
Sanchez had received a special exemption from the International Olympic Committee to compete for the Philippines.
She finished in seventh place in the second semifinal on Wednesday (Manila time) at the Paris La Défense Arena
After establishing a new Philippine record in the morning’s heats with a time of 53.67 seconds, the Filipino-Canadian swimmer attempted to approach her personal best.
However, she fell short.
With most swimmers entering the pool at the same time, technique made the difference heading into the first 50 meters.
In a heat that also included World Record holder Sarah Sjöström of Sweden and her own earlier preliminary heat winner, Mollie O’Callaghan, Sanchez touched the first pad with a split time of 26.07 seconds.
The 23-year-old Olympian tried to catch up with the pack, but the leaders would not be denied as O’Callaghan and China’s Yang Junxuan led the four swimmers from this semifinal heat into the medal round.
Sanchez will use this experience of finally representing her parents’ homeland on the biggest stage as fuel for better success in the future – with more records and, possibly, more medals for the Philippines.
