How backstroke bolstered Kayla Sanchez' medal-rich campaign in SEA Games

Not one, not two, and not just three medals, but eight for the most decorated Filipino athlete in this year’s Southeast Asian Games, Kayla Sanchez.
 
The Filipina ace swimmer hauled in three gold medals in the 100m backstroke, 100m freestyle, and 4x100m freestyle relay events, while getting five silvers in the 200m freestyle, 50m backstroke, 50m freestyle, 4x200m freestyle relay, and 4x100m medley relay events.

READ MORE | Who is Kayla Sanchez, Philippines’ star swimmer in 2025 SEA Games?

But the road to this historic haul was anything but straightforward. In fact, it came with a calculated, high-stakes risk.
 
Kayla’s bread and butter has always been freestyle, a stroke she has mastered and regularly competed in since her junior days with the Canadian team. But in the 33rd edition of the SEA Games, she boldly reinserted backstroke into her competitive lineup, an event she had not raced in years.
 
“Backstroke alone, I started really focusing in June, July, which isn’t that long in swimming,” Sanchez shared.
 
“I used to swim backstroke a lot when I was younger. I was 18. But then I transitioned more to freestyle because I was needed for the relays at the Olympics, and backstroke just left me.”
 
With the opportunity of getting more for the Philippines, Kayla embraced the challenge.
 
“I thought I could take what I can get, and if it meant adding more backstroke to my training, then I would do it. And, yeah, it turned out really well.” Sanchez said in an interview.
 
Adding backstroke also meant more workload, increased physical strains, and navigating through uncharted waters in both training and competition. But she was unfazed, motivated by her goal of bringing maximum honor to the country.

 
Her bold decision culminated in her final and most memorable golden moment of the Games during the 100m backstroke final.
 
“It was a really tight race at the end. I went for it, and they were chasing me, and I knew I had to focus and stay calm,” Sanchez recalled.
 
“I looked immediately up into the stands, because that was a Filipino win.”
 
0.17 seconds separated her and second place, a photo finish that not only highlights her victory, but also underscores the risk she willingly took to get there.
 
While it appeared to be a nerve-wracking moment for those who were watching, the Olympian revealed that she unexpectedly felt at ease in the water.
 
“I was less nervous to swim backstroke for some reason, maybe because I didn’t know what was going to happen. Whereas the 100 freestyle is my best event. And I thought, if I don’t win this, I don’t know how I’m going to feel. So, yeah, it was awesome to step up for backstroke and see where my training could take me.” She explained.
 
It was courage, and not just the medals, that defined Sanchez’s campaign in the SEA Games. Proving that, in order to win and elevate your legacy, you have to sometimes swim a different stroke.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News