PSI hires noted coach to ready Sanchez for Paris

Kayla Sanchez —PSI PHOTO

And so it begins for Kayla Sanchez, the quest to spearhead Philippine swimming’s hopes in the Paris 2024 Olympics.

That road starts with the hiring of renowned swimming coach Luke Gabrilo as Sanchez’s full-time coach.

“First in his agenda in Manila is to instill a culture of professionalism and a high-performance mindset to our coaches,’’ said the Philippine Swimming Inc. (PSI) in a statement on Gabrilo, the former Israel swimming team head coach who has returned to Manila .

Credited for gifting Israel its first gold medal in the European Championships through Anastasia Gorbenko in the 200 meter individual medley, Gabrilo has brought Olympians and professional swimmers with him here to help him hold a clinic.

These swimmers include Barbora Seemanova of the Czech Republic, who won gold medals at the Youth Olympic Games and European Championships, and Erik Persson of Sweden, a silver medalist at the recent Fina World Championships.

PSI will also surround Sanchez, a Filipino-Canadian and two-time Olympic medalist for Canada, with a full team that includes a physiotherapist, nutritionist and sports psychologist.

Senior physiotherapist

Gabrilo will be joined by Jan Herber, a former senior physiotherapist for the Royal Dutch Swimming Federation during the series of clinics. Herber brings with him over 14 years of experience working with the best Olympians of the Netherlands.

“His goal is to instill in our athletes and coaches the importance of movement preparation before workouts and competitions, and a philosophy of connectedness of the whole body,’’ said the PSI, noting that Gabrilo and Herber have been working together for over a year fusing their training philosophies to help athletes maximize and reach their full potential.

Sanchez, who won relay medals in the Olympics while representing Team Canada last year in Tokyo, is a bonafide Olympic medal contender in at least two individual events—the 50m and 100m freestyle—based on her records.

The 21-year-old Sanchez, whose parents are both Filipinos, switched allegiances recently to represent the country in international meets.