When Kayla Sanchez won eight medals in the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Bangkok, she made sure it would be special.

In an interview with Olympics.com, Sanchez said she wanted her dad Noel to be with her when she joined her first SEA Games for the Philippines since making the switch from Canada in 2022. 

The Filipino-Canadian swimmer ended up winning three golds and five silver medals, making her the most bemedaled athlete for Team Philippines. 

“When we first talked about the nationality switch, the SEA Games was actually the first thing we talked about. My dad told me it was his dream to watch me compete at the Southeast Asian Games for the Philippines,” Sanchez said. 

“From that point I knew I wanted to make that happen. It was just a matter of when.”

Sanchez, a Tokyo Olympics silver medalist with Canada, switched federations in 2022 but had to sit out for a year while waiting for the confirmation from World Aquatics. 

The 24-year-old University of British Columbia swimmer missed out the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia but was able to make her debut for the Philippines in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. 

Sanchez is thankful for her experiences in Canada, where she blossomed into an elite swimmer. 

She said she hopes to make it to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and clinch another medal — this time for the Philippines, which has yet to win a medal from the pool since the legendary Teofilo Yldefonso won the bronze in the 1932 Olympics. 

“I definitely learned a lot in Canadian swimming and that high performance culture, so it’s awesome that I get to bring it here with my journey in the Philippines,” Sanchez said.