Fil-Canadian Olympic medalist Kayla Sanchez to swim for the Philippines

Filipino-Canadian Olympic medalist Kayla Sanchez will now be swimming for the Philippines.

The Philippine Swimming, Inc. announced on Thursday that Sanchez has decided to shift from Canada to represent the Philippines in her upcoming competitions.

"The Philippine Swimming, Inc. welcomes Sanchez with open arms and is committed to helping her achieve her goals in the next few years, including a possible stint at the Paris Olympics in 2024," said PSI president Lani Velasco.

Sanchez is the reigning world junior record holder in 50-meter freestyle. She also won a silver medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay and a bronze medal in the 4x100-meter medley relay during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

She was also a double silver and double bronze medalist at the 10th FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Sanchez, whose parents were born in the Philippines, said she wanted to bring what she does and loves to the country.

"It was a matter of timing and a question of timing and now is a good time to bring what I do and what I love here in the Philippines," she said. "I think it's a bigger picture of and a bigger meaning of using what I do and what I love to inspire Filipinos like me to commit to sports and show what they are capable of."

—Justin Kenneth Carandang/MGP, GMA News