Filipino swimmer Kayla Sanchez made history after winning eight medals at the Southeast Asian Games, becoming the most bemedaled Filipino athlete in the 2025 meet.

Sanchez won three gold medals and five silver medals. She said the competition was tough as she faced strong and world-class swimmers from different countries.

“I was entered to swim eight events. I wanted to medal in all of them, but truthfully, I didn't have an expectation going in. I think sometimes, as an athlete, that expectation can get the better of you. So I just focused on my process,” Sanchez said.

She also enjoyed the overall SEA Games experience and meeting fellow athletes.

“It was so much fun. It was a small competition, and we have prelims and final sessions. The prelim sessions ran really short compared to the Asian Games and the World Championships. But it was so fun to meet other swimmers from different countries,” she added.

Sanchez competes usually in freestyle and relay events. However, during the SEA Games, she decided to also join the backstroke events. This move paid off as backstroke became one of her gold medal events.

“I thought I could just 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,” she said.

She admitted she felt less pressure in backstroke compared to freestyle.

“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,” Sanchez added.

Sanchez said she only started focusing on backstroke training months before the competition.

“Backstroke alone, I started really focusing in June, July, which isn't that long in swimming,” she said.

ROOTED IN FAMILY TIES

In 2022, Sanchez chose to represent the Philippines in international competitions after previously swimming for Canada, including in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

She said the decision was rooted in pride and family ties.

“I decided to switch purely off Filipino pride. It's really big for my dad and my mom, and I was lucky to have been raised in my household where we held a lot of Filipino traditions,” she said.

“My dad is from Mabalacat City in Pampanga, and my mom is from Baguio,” she added.

TO INSPIRE FILIPINOS

Sanchez also shared her bigger goal for Philippine swimming.

“A big goal of mine is to inspire Filipino swimmers. I want them to believe in themselves and know that they can step up on these big platforms and represent their country with pride,” she said.

This was Sanchez’s first SEA Games appearance after competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics. She said she felt clearly the support of Filipinos in the stands and online.

“I heard it. There were shouts from the stands, and I got so many lovely messages from so many people just saying how much they were supporting me,” she said.

Sanchez thanked Filipinos for their support and said she is set to compete in the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.

“Thank you so much for supporting me. You made my first SEA Games so special. I’m going to be racing next year in the Asian Games in Japan. Go Philippines,” she said.

(with reports from Martin Javier, GMA Integrated News)