Filipino-Canadian swimmer Kayla Sanchez came up short of reaching the final of the women’s 100-meter freestyle after clocking 55.07 seconds Friday in the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar.
Out of 16 swimmers, Sanchez, 22, finished at 13th place in the semifinal, the best showing of the seven-member Philippine squad so far.
Sanchez qualified for the semis after getting a time of 54.88 seconds, finishing 13th overall in the heats.
She was also able to break the national record for mixed 4×100-meter medley relay with Jerard Jacinto, Thanya dela Cruz, and Jarod Hatch last Wednesday after clocking in 53.91 seconds.
The Filipino quartet eclipsed the time of 3:57.01 minutes set by Jacinto, Dela Cruz, Hatch, and Jasmine Alkhaldi in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh last May.
As of press time, Alkhaldi, who competed in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, is seeing action in the women’s 50m butterfly.
Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Xiandi Chua is also currently competing as of writing in the women’s 200m backstroke event while Hatch is campaigning in the men’s 100m butterfly event.
The Filipino swimmers are attempting to get into the 2024 Paris Olympics by hitting the required qualifying standards.
Luke Gebbie and Remedy Rule saw action for the Philippines in the Tokyo Olympics after attaining spots via universality.
