Young Bulaga makes SEA Games squad

Kyla Louise Bulaga made history as she became the youngest member of the national swimming squad that will compete in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games this December in Bangkok.

Bulaga, the 15-year-old protégé of Olympian Ryan Arabejo, made a lot of heads turn when she clinched the silver medal in the women’s 400-meter individual medley during the 2025 Philippine Aquatics Inc. National Tryouts on Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Aquatic Center.

Racing under the banner of the La Union Bullsharks Swim Club, Bulaga clocked five minutes and 11.84 seconds to finish behind national team mainstay Xiandi Chua of the FTW Royals Club, who submitted a time of 5:05.61. They both surpassed the qualifying standard of 5:13.05 to earn their spots in the prestigious biennial meet from 9 to 20 December.

“I’m so happy and very proud. I just used to watch Ate Xiandi swim, now I am now competing and even won a silver medal against her. I am very grateful to the support of my parents and Coach Ryan,” said Bulaga, who earlier ruled the 400m freestyle but missed the qualifying standard of 4:45.74.

“With only one event in the SEA Games, I will do my best to concentrate and in our training.”

On the other hand, Chua secured berths in five events, including her signature 200m backstroke where she is the defending champion and record-holder. She clocked 2:17.10 to qualify, which is quite slower than her SEA Games record of 2:13.20.

“Yes, bad swim, really. Need to focus more,” said the Melbourne-trained Chua, who also qualified in the 100m freestyle, 100m backstroke and 200m IM.

Olympic relay silver medalist Kayla Noelle Sanchez also looms as one of the country’s biggest hopes after qualifying in six events in 100m freestyle, 50m back, 200m free, 50m butterfly, 100m back and 50m free.

“I’m very proud representing the Philippines. It’s a dream come true and I’ll try my very best to give the country gold medals in the biennial meet,” the 24-year-old Sanchez, who won silver for Canada in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, said.