Asian Games: Kayla Sanchez, Teia Salvino qualify for 50m backstroke final

The Philippines’ Teia Salvino at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.–ASIAN GAMES POOL PHOTO

HANGZHOU, China—Kayla Sanchez breezed through the qualifying heat and progressed to the medal race of the women’s 50-meter backstroke in the 19th Asian Games at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium.

Sanchez, just a night’s rest removed from leading the country’s 4x100m freestyle relay team to a national record-shattering performance, wound up second in her heat after clocking 28.86 second behind South Korea’s Lee Eunji (28.80).

Kayla Sanchez after making her debut for the Philippines at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.–JUNE NAVARRO/INQUIRER

Teia Isabella Salvino will join Sanchez, a double Olympic medalist while representing Team Canada in the Tokyo Olympics, in the finale after finishing second in the fourth and final heat in 29.08 seconds.

Salvino, who owns the national standard in the 100m backstroke, and Sanchez combined their act with two-time Olympian Jasmine Alkhaldi and Xiandi Chua in erasing the previous Philippine record in the 4x100m freestyle (3:47.05) with a 3:44.31 output.

Sanchez and Salvino will contend for a medal with Kazakhstan’s Xeniya Ignatova (28.95), Japan’s Miki Takahashi (28.24), China’s Wang Xueer (27.59) and Wan Letian (27.80) and Hong Kong’s Stephanie Au (28.37).