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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Kayla Sanchez out to end PH medal drought in Asiad

Kayla Sanchez out to end PH medal drought in Asiad

Published Aug 17, 2026 01:48 pm

At A Glance

  • The two-time Olympian, who won one silver and one bronze medal in the relay with Team Canada before representing the Philippines, will be joined by equally competitive swimmers in Logan Wataru Noguchi, Gian Christopher Santos, Xiandi Chua, Miranda Cristina Renner, Heather White and Teia Isabella Salvino.
Kayla Sanchez (AP/File photo)
Kayla Sanchez (AP/File photo)
Olympic medalist and national record holder Kayla Sanchez banners the seven-athlete Philippine swimming team that will see action in the 2026 Asian Games in Japan next month.
The two-time Olympian, who won one silver and one bronze medal in the relay with Team Canada before representing the Philippines, will be joined by equally competitive swimmers in Logan Wataru Noguchi, Gian Christopher Santos, Xiandi Chua, Miranda Cristina Renner, Heather White and Teia Isabella Salvino.
Sanchez recently made waves at the 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Irving, California after resetting the national record and finishing sixth in the women’s 100-meter freestyle.
Santos, likewise, made his presence felt with a new PH mark on his own in the men’s 200m free.
All seven tankers won medals in the previous two editions of the Southeast Asian Games, including Sanchez, who claimed three gold and five silver medals at the 2025 edition in Thailand.
Sanchez is hoping to reach the podium this time after making her Asian Games debut at the 2022 edition in Hangzhou, where she finished as high as fifth in the women’s 100m freestyle.
Chinese and South Korean swimmers have dominated the regional meet, with only seven of the 37 participating nations making it to the medal tally in the Hangzhou edition.
The last Filipino swimmer to win an Asian Games medal was Raymond Papa, who bagged two bronze medals in the men’s 100m and 200m backstroke at the 1998 edition in Bangkok, Thailand.

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