Kayla Sanchez says she needs more confidence as Olympic swimming bid ends

MANILA, Philippines -- Following her exit from the Paris Olympics, swimmer Kayla Sanchez is striving to be better as she put up a gallant effort in the Games.

Sanchez bowed out of the women’s 100 meter freestyle semifinals early Wednesday morning after finishing 15th overall out of 16 swimmers.

This put an end to her first Olympic run for the Philippines. She earlier won two medals in the Olympics representing Canada.

Sanchez, after the semifinals, bared that she was “not super happy” with her swim in the penultimate round.

“I’m not super happy with the swim to be honest, but all I can do is look forward and strive to be better,” she said in an interview with One Sports.

“I just need more confidence in the race, I trained really hard and I’m hoping it translates one day so I can be up there on the podium,” she added.

The 23-year-old barged into the semifinals after clocking in at 53.67 seconds at the end of the heats on Tuesday. Her time is a new national record.

Despite the exit, Sanchez said that she is happy with the opportunities she had in Paris.

“Lots of emotions. I get to have my family watching which is really important to me. I know that I have all the support of the Filipinos,” she stressed.

“I’m super grateful for the opportunities that I received and I’m super grateful for all the support.”

And, with her summer break, she underscored that she will take the time to “reflect and refresh the mind and the body” after a grueling season.

“Never give up on your dreams, surround yourself with people that love you and tuloy ang laban.”