Kayla Sanchez Wins 8 Medal, Singapore Takes Total Count at 2025 SEA Games
Former Canadian international Kayla Sanchez won eight medals, and Singapore claimed 19 golds and 34 total medals to dominate the 2025 SEA Games last week.
The meet in Bangkok, Thailand, was a reassertion of Singapore’s regional power in the meet featuring 10 nations. It won 19 golds in 38 events, including three of six relays.
Quah Zheng Wen led all swimmers with six individual (two gold, three silver, one bronze) and nine total medals. Quah Ting Wen won five medals, including gold in the women’s 50 and 100 butterfly, to take her career tally at his meet to a record-setting 63.
2025 SEA Games Medal Table
- Singapore 19-8-7—34
- Vietnam 6-9-10—25
- Thailand 5-7-9—21
- Philippines 3-9-2—14
- Indonesia 3-3-5—11
- Malaysia 2-3-5—10
Sanchez, who won a pair of Olympic medals representing Canada in Tokyo in 2021, had her biggest achievement in the colors of the Philippines, to which she changed national affiliation in 2022. She won the 100 freestyle in 54.82 and the 100 backstroke in 1:02.35 to go with three silvers, including in the 50 free behind Amanda Lim’s meet record.
Sanchez anchored the Philippines’ 400 free relay to a win in 3:44.26, then added silvers in the 800 free and 400 medley relay.
Quah Zheng Wen won the men’s 200 back (2:00.62) and the 100 fly (52.25). He was second in the 50 back, 50 fly and 100 free and got bronze in the 100 back. Singapore’s 400 free relay of he, Mikkel Lee (the 50 free champ in 21.92 and 100 free winner in 48.65), Jonathan Tan and Zulhilmi Mohamed Azman went 3:16.65, a meet record that was nearly 3.5 seconds faster than the Vietnamese relay that claimed silver.
Quah was on the bronze-winning Singaporean 800 free relay and won gold in the 400 medley, with Chan Chun Ho, Lee and Tan. That gave Lee four medals, all gold. Chan won two gold and two silvers, including a national record in winning the 50 breast in 27.68.
Seven of the eight meet records came on the women’s side. Four involved Letitia Sim. The Singapore star set the meet record in winning the 50 breast (31.03), 100 breast (1:06.79), 200 breast (2:27.37) and 200 individual medley (2:13.42, a national mark). She added a fifth gold on the 400 medley relay.
That relay included Quah Ting Wen and her record-setting run. The 33-year-old’s 63rd medal passed countrywoman Joscelin Yeo’s tally. It includes a record 35 golds. Getting there in the 100 fly required beating her sister Quah Jing Wen by .01 seconds in the 100 fly with a time of 59.76.
Quah Ting Wen won bronze in the 100 free, relay gold in the 400 medley and silver in the 400 free, both with her sister. Quah Jing Wen also got bronze in the 200 fly.
Lim set the 50 free meet record in 25.03. The other meet mark came from Gan Ching Hwee of Singapore, who swept the 200, 400 and 800 freestyles, the latter in a Games record 8:33.13. She added relay silver in the 400 free relay and set the national record in the 200 free at 1:59.10 off the front of the 800 free relay.
On the men’s side, Khiew Hoe Yean won the 200 free and 400 free in addition silver and bronze in the relays for Malaysia. Indonesia’s Jason Donovan Yusuf won the 50 and 100 back. Pham Thanh Bao of Vietnam won the 100 and 200 breast.
Nguyen Huy Hoang won the 1,500 free to go with bronze in the 400 free and 800 free relay gold for Vietnam. That 800 free relay quartet included 200 IM winner/400 IM runner-up Tran Hung Nguyen and a fifth medal for Tran Van Nguyen, who earned silver in the 200 and 400 free.
Thailand’s women had a strong showing. Kamonchanok Kwanmuang anchored the victorious 800 free relay after she won gold in the 200 fly and 400 IM, plus silvers in the 200 IM and 400 free and bronze in the 800 free. Seventeen of Thailand’s 21 medals came on the women’s side (though Surasit Thongdeang did win the men’s 200 fly). Mia Millar won the women’s 200 back after silver in the 100.
Indonesia’s Masniari Wolf won the 50 back in 28.80, .04 up on Sanchez.