BANGKOK — Olympic medalist Kayla Sanchez made a spectacular debut for the Philippines at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games on Wednesday, December 17, ending the swimming competition with three gold and five silver medals. Sanchez, who previously won two Olympic medals for Canada at the Tokyo Games, expressed pride in representing her new country.

Her first gold came in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, where she anchored the team alongside Xiandi Chua, Chloe Isleta, and Heather White. The victory marked the Philippines’ first-ever gold in the event since joining the SEA Games in 1977.

“My first race was a relay, and it was not just me who did it. They all made me less nervous… It was fun to have them,” Sanchez said, crediting her teammates for easing her pre-race tension.

Dominance in individual events

Sanchez briefly broke the meet record in the 50m backstroke preliminaries, clocking 28.47 seconds, surpassing Indonesia’s Wolf Masniari’s 2023 mark. She settled for silver in the final after Masniari reclaimed first place.

Channeling that disappointment, Sanchez delivered a dominant 100m freestyle performance, winning gold with a time of 54.82 seconds. She completed her golden hat-trick with a 100m backstroke victory in 1:02.35, claiming her third gold medal.

“I got motivated. I was heartbroken [after that silver finish]. I felt that I let the country down, and I am just so proud to achieve this gold,” Sanchez shared, revealing the emotional drive behind her wins.

Sanchez leads the Philippines’ medal haul

In addition to her three golds, Sanchez earned five silver medals—three in individual events (200m freestyle, 50m backstroke, 50m freestyle) and two in relays (4x200m freestyle relay and 4x100m medley relay). Her contributions helped the Philippine swimming team finish with three golds, eight silvers, and two bronzes overall.

Other medalists included Heather White (100m freestyle silver, 50m freestyle bronze), Xiandi Chua (200m backstroke silver), and Gian Santos (men’s 200m individual silver). Logan Wataru Noguchi added bronze in the 50m butterfly.