SANCHEZ GRABS 3RD SEAG GOLD
14 December 2025
BANGKOK — Olympian Kayla Sanchez racked up her third gold medal in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.
And she still has five more events.
Sanchez made a splash on Saturday at the Sports Authority Thailand Swimming Pool, topping the women’s 100m backstroke event as she clocked in a 1:02.35, with Thailand’s bet Mia Millar (1:02.52) and Indonesia’s Flairene Candrea (1:02.60) settling for silver and bronze, respectively.
“I am speechless, it’s been a long competition… I still have more events to go, so I am just taking it day by day,” Sanchez said. “I knew I had to go out fast.”
“I just keep it together and stay calm… Also, it’s my dad’s birthday today. So I want to win this medal for him, and win that gold for the Philippines.”
The two-time Olympic medalist’s first two golds came from the 100m freestyle and the 4x100m freestyle relay.
She registered 54.82 seconds in the 100m freestyle event for her second championship, after joining forces with Xiandi Chua, Chloe Esleta, and White in their 4x100m relay freestyle conquest for the country’s first-ever gold in that event.
She also got two silvers in 50m backstroke and 200m freestyle.
Sanchez still has five remaining events, namely 4x100m mixed medley, 50m freestyle, 4x200m free relay, 50m butterfly, and 4x100m medley relay, vying for another medal for the country.
