Sanchez Breaks PH 100m Freestyle Record, Finishes 0.18s Off the Podium
Kayla Sanchez lowered her own national record in the 100m freestyle this week. She still finished fourth.
A New Record, No Medal to Show for It
Sanchez clocked 53.65 seconds in the women’s 100m freestyle final at the 2026 Asian Games on Tuesday at the Tokyo Aquatics Center, breaking her previous national mark of 53.67 seconds, set in 2024. She had qualified for the final as the second-fastest swimmer in the heats, clocking 54.22 seconds.
The new record was not enough for a medal. Sanchez finished fourth, 0.18 seconds behind bronze medalist Cheng Yujie of China, who touched in 53.47 seconds. Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey, the Asian Games record holder, won gold in 52.45 seconds. China’s Yun Yiting took silver in 53.21 seconds.
A Conflict in the Record Books
Reporting on her actual pre-race record does not agree. ABS-CBN lists Sanchez’s national mark heading into Tuesday at 53.67 seconds, set in 2024, which this swim beat by 0.02 seconds. An earlier report from Tiebreaker Times credited her with a faster national mark of 53.46 seconds, set at the Pan Pacific Championships in August 2026, which would put Tuesday’s 53.65 seconds just short of a new record. The two outlets do not agree on what her standing record was going into the Asian Games, and that conflict is unresolved here.
Coach’s Read on the Race
Sanchez skipped the media zone after the race and headed straight to the cooldown pool. Her coach, Derrick Schoof, spoke in her place.
“Kayla put it all on the table. She went for it. And she had a really very solid performance,” 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.”
Filipino-British swimmer Heather White finished 10th and last in the final, clocking 56.01 seconds.
One Day Earlier
The 100m freestyle swim came a day after Sanchez broke the Philippine record in the women’s 50m backstroke, clocking 28.19 seconds to finish fifth on Monday.
Two More Races
Sanchez returns to the pool Wednesday for the 100m backstroke, where she is chasing the Philippines’ first Asian Games swimming medal in 28 years. She also has the 50m freestyle scheduled for Thursday.
“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,” Schoof said.
