MANILA, Philippines – New Clark City Aquatics Center will serve as the training center for two-time Olympic medalist Kayla Sanchez as she accomplishes her one-year residency in the Philippines.
The Filipina swimmer, who grew up in and represented Canada in international competitions, will be using the facilities in Capas, Tarlac as she keeps in form during her process to shift to Philippine citizenship in sports.
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Sanchez had already visited NCC earlier this month, deeming the facilities at par with other state-of-the-art pools.
"It has the best facilities I have ever seen. It’s breathtaking. The view and the location — I have no words. When you’re actually in the facility itself, it just has everything you need. I am so excited to be able to train here," she said.
The 21-year-old is looking to represent the Philippines in competition after winning multiple medals for Canada in tiffs like the Olympics, the FINA World Championships, and the like.
Sanchez is being eyed as the country's best hope of ending a 90-year drought of Olympic medals in swimming.
Only the country's first Olympic medalist, Teofilo Yldefonso, has won medals for the Philippines in the sport.
Yldefonso won bronze in the 200-meter breaststroke event of the Olympics twice in the 1928 and 1932 editions of the quadrennial games.
The Aquatics Center is the only FINA-approved swimming facility in the country and can serve Sanchez well as she prepares to banner the Philippine flag.
Under Canada, she won a silver medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay and a bronze in the 4x100m medley relay.