Canadian Olympic medalist Kayla Sanchez will skip the World Championships later this month to focus on making her debut for the Philippines at the Asian Games this September in Hangzhou, China.
“I have met with my coach and we have decided it is best for me not to compete in Fukuoka,” Sanchez told Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino. “This means I can be focused to medal in the Asian Games in September.”
The 22-year-old freestyle specialist was deemed eligible to represent the Philippines internationally on Thursday after being released from Swimming Canada last June and completing the majority of a one-year residency training at the New Clark City facilities. Sanchez said she made the switch because she reached a point in her life where it was “time for a change.”
“I am stepping into a new point in my swim career where I can start to focus on myself and at the same time I’m hoping to help people in the Philippines,” said Sanchez, who was born to Filipino parents in Singapore before emigrating to Canada.
“The country now has a very strong anchor in its national swimming team,” Tolentino said.
Sanchez picked up medals on four relays at the 2022 World Championships (silver in 400 free relay and mixed 400 free relay, bronze in 800 free relay and 400 medley relay) and two more at the 2019 edition (bronze in the 400 free relay and 800 free relay). In between, she competed at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and brought home a silver medal on the 400 free relay as well as a bronze from swimming in the heats of the 400 medley relay.
At last year’s World Championships, Sanchez placed 6th in the 100 free with a time of 53.59, which would have won bronze at the 2018 Asian Games. She owns a lifetime best of 53.12 from the Tokyo Olympics, where she placed 10th. The competition for the 100 free podium at the Asian Games figures to be stiff with Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey (52.50), China’s Cheng Yujie (53.26), and China’s Yang Yunxuan (53.87) also under 54 seconds so far this season.
Sanchez most recently competed at the Czech Open last month, where she earned runner-up finishes in the 50 free (25.62), 100 free (55.73), and 50 back (29.15).
While Sanchez will no longer have the opportunity to rack up relay medals at major championships, she could be in line for other benefits from moving.
As of 2021, the Philippines was offering the USD equivalent of $200,000 for an Olympic gold medal (₱10,000,000), $100,000 for an Olympic silver medal, and $40,000 for an Olympic bronze medal. Canada’s incentive for a gold medal last year was roughly $16,000 USD ($20,000 CAD).
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is also handing out scholarships to nine of the Philippines’ best athletes in the lead-up to the Paris 2024 Olympics, each receiving ₱43,000 per month ($768 USD).
I can’t get behind her decision. It seems she
moved for the money and I hate that. We really had a good thing going until Ben left. Super sad Atkinson let him go. You don’t let someone like Ben Titley go…you meet his demands.
I can already see where things are going for certain swimmers on the Canadian team, but I’ll hold my tongue.
Her decisions and comments the past year are head scratching in many ways, but ultimately just represent an ongoing choice to deprioritize swimming, which is okay. Wish she wouldn’t pretend otherwise though.
Fair to say the change hasn’t gone brilliantly so far
Seems weird. You would think 1) she would want after all the hype of changing to the Philippines to represent them on the highest level and that she would absolutely want to knock it out of the park at her first big one. 2) why not able to do both?? I bet a bunch of people will pull the double.
I’ll guess fitness, or lack thereof is the real reason. 55.7 last month is almost Oleksiak level out of shape.
The thing is, the world championships aren’t really considered the “highest level” in a lot of countries. Asian countries tend to care about Asian Games more and commonwealth countries tend to care about CGs more than World Champs.
No one here even knew that Australia hosted Short Course Words last year and the venue was half empty most of the time. But the Gold Coast CGs had full stands for every single swimming session at a bigger venue.
She’s more likely to get medals at Asian Games, and those medals are going to be worth more for her in terms of money and exposure.
Sorry but did you go the SC world’s? The session were nearly always packed… at least 80-90% full. I went to 5 sessions and even the heats were 60-70% full.
I know Chinese Nationals is almost always the most important meet on their schedule each year. Very normal to see top times in the World posted there by them and not at a Worlds or Olympics.
Guess I didn’t know that Asian Games held the same sway with other countries.
CG’s just needs to die it’s natural death. It’s such a C level event these days. Have to wonder why the Aussies, Brits and Canadians even waste their A level talent on it.
No one cares more about the CGs than Worlds unless they aren’t good enough to medal at Worlds.
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I’m hoping to help the people in the Philippines???In what way??
I’m pretty sure the Philippines has a high rate of drowning. She can help by swimming well at an international level and inspiring people to learn to swim.
I’ve lived in the Philippines and had national level family in the pool.Filipino,s could care less about competitive swimming.Unless she wins gold at the Olympics it won’t even be reported in the sports pages.The 50m pools are all outdoors.Due to their location they get a lot of pool closures because of typhoons etc..Tough to train consistently.A large group of their Olympic team are foreigners like herself, but they train in their home countries.Nobody her class to train with.Good luck, it will be tough.
She doesn’t have to remain in the Philippines now that her nationality change has been approved.
Don’t like her chances of claiming any of those Olympic medal incentives.
Even if she doesn’t medal in Olympics, making final will already be huge for the Philippines.
When was the last time a Filipino swimmer made Olympics final?
Good decision.
It’s more commercially lucrative to swim in Asian Games.
Less pressure and her contribution will seem greater
Also, Asian Games gets massive coverage all over Asia.
Winning an Asian Games medal will get huge recognition in the Philippines
So was she “deemed ineligible” or did she and her coach “decide it is best for (her) not to compete in Fukuoka”?
i mean objectively, she is much more unlikely to stand out at the WC as she is at the Asian Games. Her 200 free PB would’ve won silver at the 2018 games, her 100 free would’ve won gold, her 100 back would’ve won bronze, her 50 free would’ve won bronze- the point is, she is a real medal contender.
At the WC level, she’s a great relay member for a relay medal contending country like Canada (any country would love another 1:55.5 relay split) but she has about a 0% chance of winning an individual medal