Filipina swimmer Kayla Sanchez during the women's 100-meter freestyle in the 2026 Asian Games, September 22, 2026 at the Tokyo Aquatics Center. POC Media
MANILA (UPDATED) — Kayla Sanchez narrowly missed the podium in the women's 100-meter freestyle after clocking 53.65 seconds in the 2026 Asian Games, at the Tokyo Aquatics Center on Tuesday.
Sanchez posted 54.22 seconds in the heats in the heats and was even faster in the final, but fell agonizingly short of the bronze.
Hong Kong's Siobhan Haughey, the Asian Games record holder, claimed gold in 52.45 seconds, while China's Yun Yiting and Cheng Yujie completed the podium with 53.21 and 53.47 seconds, respectively.
The Philippine swimmer's 53.65-second finish placed her fourth, just 0.18 seconds off the bronze medal.
On Monday, Sanchez had reset the Philippine record in the women's 50-m backstroke, clocking 28.19 seconds to finish fifth.
Filipino-British Heather White, meanwhile, finished 10th after clocking 56.01 seconds.
A visibly devastated Sanchez skipped the media zone after the race, instead heading to the cooldown pool.
"Kayla put it all on the table. She went for it. And she had a really very solid performance," Philippine coach Derrick Schoof said. "I knew it was going to be very close. It was going to come down to the touch. She just came out on the wrong side of the touch."
Despite the missed opportunity, the Philippine coaches remain optimistic of the team's trajectory.
"We're disappointed that we didn't get the medal right there. But there are still more chances to come, and I think in a couple of days Kayla's going to put up a really good 50 freestyle,"' said Schoof.
Sanchez will return to the pool tomorrow for the women's 100-meter backstroke, where she seeks to capture the country's first Asian Games swimming medal in 28 years.