Kayla Sanchez, a Filipina-Canadian swimmer, shattered the national record on Tuesday, earning a spot in the semifinals of the women’s 100m freestyle at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Competing at the Paris La Defense Arena, the 23-year-old, who previously represented Canada at the Tokyo Olympics and won two medals, clocked 53.67 seconds in Heat 4, finishing fourth. This performance placed her 10th overall and secured her a place among the top 16 in the semifinals.
Sanchez’s record-breaking swim surpassed her previous national record of 54.25 seconds, set last June at the Mel Zajac Jr. International Meet in Canada. The event was topped by world record holder Sarah Sjoestroem of Sweden with 52.99 seconds, followed by Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong and Junxuan Yang of China.
Sanchez will compete in the semifinals at 3:33 a.m. (Philippine time) on Wednesday, with the top eight swimmers advancing to the finals scheduled for August 1 at 2:30 a.m. She aims to secure her third podium finish in the Summer Games.