Camille Naredo

Filipina swimmer Kayla Sanchez after winning the women's 100-meter backstroke for her third gold medal in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, December 13, 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand. POC Media

Filipina swimmer Kayla Sanchez after winning the women's 100-meter backstroke for her third gold medal in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, December 13, 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand.

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2025 Southeast Asian Games

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1765874890472SEA Swimming 100m backstroke - Kayla Sanchez (gold)-1032.JPG" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Filipina swimmer Kayla Sanchez after winning the women&#x27;s 100-meter backstroke for her third gold medal in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, December 13, 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand. POC Media" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Filipina swimmer Kayla Sanchez after winning the women&#x27;s 100-meter backstroke for her third gold medal in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, December 13, 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand. <em>POC Media</em></span></span></span></div><p>Olympic swimmer Kayla Sanchez had a sensational Southeast Asian Games debut for the Philippines in Bangkok, Thailand.</p><p>A two-time Olympic medalist while representing Canada, Sanchez won three gold medals and five silvers in the 33rd SEA Games.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s very special. I love my teammates, my whole family is here, and I really hope I made the country proud,&quot; said Sanchez, who began representing the Philippines in 2023.</p><p>Sanchez immediately made her presence felt by anchoring the 4x100-meter freestyle relay team to a historic gold medal.</p><p>Alongside teammates Xiandi Chua, Chloe Isleta, and Heather White, the squad secured the Philippines&#x27; first-ever gold in that event since joining the Games in 1977.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2025/12/11/olympian-kayla-sanchez-leads-ph-women-s-swimming-team-to-gold-0228">READ: Olympian Kayla Sanchez leads PH women&#x27;s swimming team to gold</a></div><p>&quot;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,&quot; a visibly thrilled Sanchez said, crediting her teammates for easing her pre-race tension.</p><p>On her second day, Sanchez momentarily shattered the meet record in the 50m backstroke preliminaries, clocking 28.47 seconds, surpassing Indonesia&#x27;s Wolf Masniari&#x27;s 2023 mark.</p><p>However, in a tightly contested final, she settled for silver as Masniari reclaimed the top spot.</p><p>Channeling her disappointment, Sanchez delivered a dominant performance in the 100m freestyle the following day, claiming her second gold with a time of 54.82 seconds.</p><p>&quot;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,&quot; she shared, revealing the emotional drive behind her win.</p><p>She completed her golden hat-trick on her fourth consecutive day of competition, taking the 100m backstroke title with a winning time of 1:02.35.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2025/12/12/seag-kayla-sanchez-heather-white-in-1-2-finish-for-ph-in-freestyle-1934">READ: Kayla Sanchez, Heather White in 1-2 finish for PH in freestyle</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2025/12/13/kayla-sanchez-rules-100-m-backstroke-to-win-3rd-seag-gold-1956">READ: Kayla Sanchez rules women&#x27;s 100-m backstroke to win 3rd SEAG gold</a></div><p>Sanchez also secured five silver medals, three in individual events—the 200m freestyle, 50m backstroke, and 50m freestyle—and two in relays: the 4x200m freestyle relay and the 4x100m medley relay, significantly contributing to the Philippines&#x27; overall medal count.</p><p>The Philippine swimming team capped the event with three golds, eight silvers, and two bronze medals.</p><p>The other three silvers were from White (100m Freestyle), Chua (200m backstroke), and Gian Santos (men&#x27;s 200m individual).</p><p>The bronze medals also came from White (50m freestyle), and Logan Wataru Noguchi (50m butterfly).</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T-_50Fe1O_c?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>Olympic swimmer Kayla Sanchez had a sensational Southeast Asian Games debut for the Philippines in Bangkok, Thailand.</p>

Olympic swimmer Kayla Sanchez had a sensational Southeast Asian Games debut for the Philippines in Bangkok, Thailand.

Kayla Sanchez concludes first SEA Games stint with 8 medals

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Kayla Sanchez concludes first SEA Games stint with 8 medals

ABS-CBN News

Published December 16, 2025 04:51 PM PHT

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