By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Olympian Kayla Sanchez is set to make her Southeast Asian Games debut as she teams up with Xiandi Chua to banner the Philippine swimming team in this year’s biennial regional meet in Thailand next week.
The 24-year-old Fil-Canadian standout will compete in six individual events and four relays as the Nationals aim to surpass their previous haul of two gold, six silver and eight bronze medals in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Sanchez is slated to race in the 50-, 100- and 200-meter freestyle, the 50- and 100-meter backstroke, and the 50-meter butterfly. She will also anchor the country’s 4x100m freestyle, 4x200m freestyle, 4x100m medley, and 4x100m mixed medley relay squads.
Her entries come after she surpassed the qualifying standards set by the Philippine Aquatics Inc. during last August’s national tryouts. Sanchez currently holds the national records in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle and 50m backstroke.
Chua, a national and SEA Games record holder, also returns to defend her gold medal in the 200m backstroke. She is also eyeing podium finishes in the 100m back, 200m and 400m individual medley, and the 4x100m freestyle, 4x200m freestyle, and 4x100m medley relays.
Completing the squad are Kyle Louise Bulaga, Quendy Fernandez, Micaela Jasmine Mojdeh, Chloe Isleta, Miranda Renner, Heather White, Logan Wataru Noguchi, Joran Paul Orogo, and Gian Christopher Santos.
Singapore remains the region’s swimming powerhouse after collecting 22 gold, 15 silver, and 10 bronze medals in the previous edition, with Vietnam trailing in second with seven gold, three silver, and seven bronze medals.
Sanchez and Wataru have been training extensively in Canada, while Chua honed her skills in Australia. Renner, Orogo, Santos, and White, meanwhile, are coming from elite swimming programs in the United States.
