Filipino Canadian Olympic medalist Kayla Sanchez will make her first Southeast Asian (SEA) Games appearance for the Philippines in Thailand starting on December 9, 2025, where she will compete in multiple swimming events after leading the country’s qualifiers and posting times that organizers and officials describe as region-defining.
Sanchez, 23, confirmed her participation through an Instagram post that showed her travel route from Canada to the Philippines and then to Thailand, with a caption indicating she was on her way to her first SEA Games in 2025.
Sanchez entered the SEA Games picture after she switched sporting nationality to represent the Philippines, which allowed her to compete for the country in regional and international meets.
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Sanchez recorded a 53.67-second time in the women’s 100-meter freestyle, which officials and analysts identified as one of the fastest performances associated with Southeast Asian competition.
Swimming officials in the Philippines reported that Sanchez’s 53.67-second swim in Paris also set a new Philippine national record in the women’s 100-meter freestyle.
In the Philippine SEA Games qualifying meet, Sanchez clocked 55.00 seconds in the women’s 100-meter freestyle, which surpassed the SEA Games qualifying standard of 58.23 seconds set for that event.
Philippine sports authorities confirmed that Sanchez will join a national swimming delegation that aims to improve on the country’s previous SEA Games medal tally, with final event entries to be announced closer to the opening of the competition in Thailand.
