Sanchez, Hatch to make Paris through universality rule
SHOULD they not meet the standard qualifying times, Filipino tankers Kayla Sanchez and Jarold Hatch will still make the Paris Olympics.
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Bambol Tolentino said in the First POC Journey to Olympic Briefing on Friday that Sanchez and Hatch will qualify through the universality rule.
The aforementioned Olympic pathway enables countries without swimmers who have hit Olympic “A” or “B” standards to send up to one male and one female swimmer to the Olympic Games.
Competing at the Olympics is not unfamiliar territory for Sanchez as she has already done it in the Tokyo Games back in 2021, even winning medals in team events 4x100-m freestyle (silver) and 4x100-m medley (bronze).
Sanchez, a Filipino Canadian, was representing Canada back then before making a federation change to the Philippines, making her debut for the country in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou last year.
The 23-year-old could not medal in the Asiad but showed promise as she established five new national records in the tournament — two in individual events and three in team.
She posted new standards of 58.66 seconds in 50-m backstroke and 54.69 in 100-m freestyle.
Sanchez also led the Philippine teams that hit new records in 4x100-m freestyle relay (3:44.31), 4x200m freestyle relay (8:12.80), and 4x100-m medley relay (4:10.61).
The 5-foot-5 swimmer also set a new national 50-m women’s freestyle record after clocking 25.37 seconds in the US Open last November.
Sanchez and Hatch joined forces in posting new national standard times in the mixed relay 4x100-m freestyle relay (3:36.53) and 4x100-m medley relay (3:53.91) in the World Championships in Doha last February.
Individually, the 26-year-old Hatch set new Philippine standards in the men’s 50 and 100-m butterfly events.
Hatch established the new 50 m best of 23.89 seconds in the 2023 Southeast Asian Games and the 100 m high of 52.87 seconds in the World Championships of the same year.
Hatch was also part of the teams that set new Philippine records in 4x100-m medley relay in the 2023 Southeast Asian Games (3:43.85) and 4x100-m freestyle relay in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games (3:22.32).