BANGKOK, Thailand — Swimmer Kayla Sanchez won three gold and five silver medals at the Southeast Asian Games, emerging as Team Philippines’ most decorated athlete, and said she will return to training following the competition.
Sanchez captured gold in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, the 100-meter freestyle, and the 100-meter backstroke. She earned silver in the 50-meter backstroke, 50-meter freestyle, 4×200-meter freestyle relay, and 4×100-meter medley relay.
The 24-year-old athlete competed almost daily at the Sports Authority of Thailand Swimming Pool, from morning heats to evening finals. She began her gold medal streak with the 4×100-meter freestyle relay alongside Heather White, Xiandi Chua, and Chloe Isleta, setting a national record of three minutes, 44.26 seconds.
Sanchez briefly set a SEA Games record in the 50-meter backstroke heats at 28.47 seconds, surpassing Indonesia’s Masniari Wolf. However, Wolf won the event later in the finals with a time of 28.80 seconds. Sanchez said the result motivated her to focus on her next races.
She then won the 100-meter freestyle gold, defeating White, and claimed the 100-meter backstroke on the day of her father’s birthday, finishing in 1:02.35 to beat Thailand’s Mia Miller by 0.17 seconds.
Sanchez, who previously represented Canada as an Olympian, will continue training with an eye on future competitions, including the Asian Games later this year.