Kayla Sanchez skips event to get better shot at Asian Games medal

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STAR. Swimmer Kayla Sanchez in action for the Philippines in the 2026 Asian Games.

MANILA, Philippines – Kayla Sanchez carries the Philippines’ best hope of ending its 28-year drought for a swimming medal in the Asian Games. 

And so, national coaches opted to preserve the 25-year-old star for the women’s 50m freestyle on Thursday, September 24, at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Japan as she skipped the women’s 100m backstroke event on Wednesday, September 23. 

“There are things we cannot control, there are things we can. Let’s focus on what we can control. So, if we can rest Kayla and prepare her better for tomorrow’s 50-meter event, where she has a very, very good chance of winning a gold, we gave her a rest,” said national coach Ryan Arabejo, a former Olympian and multi-time Southeast Asian Games champion.

Sanchez came oh-so close to becoming the first Filipino swimmer to win a medal in the Asian Games since Raymond Papa bagged a pair of bronzes in the 1998 edition as she finished fourth in the women’s 100m freestyle on Tuesday, September 22.

The Filipina-Canadian clocked 53.65 seconds, just .18 seconds behind China’s Cheng Yujie, who bagged the bronze with a time of 53.47 seconds. Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey (52.45) and China’s Yu Yiting (53.21) captured the gold and silver, respectively. 

Freestyle is one of Sanchez’s strongest suits.

Back when she still represented Canada, Sanchez was part of the women’s 4x100m freestyle team that scored a silver in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Sanchez also won the women’s 100m freestyle gold and 50m freestyle silver in the 2025 SEA Games in Bangkok, Thailand. 

“Anything goes in the 50 meters. It’s anybody’s game, especially in a short-distance event,” said Arabejo. 

Sanchez is expected to sit out the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay set on Thursday as well. – Rappler.com