Beyond the pool: The other life of Olympic swimmer Kayla Sanchez
Published Mar 7, 2026 12:06 pm
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Updated Mar 7, 2026 03:17 pm
At A Glance
- For Kayla Sanchez, excellence is measured in two arenas — the pool and the classroom.
Two-time Olympic swimmer Kayla Sanchez (File/AP)
By CHRISTAN SALVAÑA
Intern
For Kayla Sanchez, excellence is measured in two arenas — the pool and the classroom.
Most days begin with her chasing seconds in the pool. By the afternoon, the Olympic medalist trades her racing suit for textbooks, returning to campus to keep up with lectures and assignments.
“I won't say it's easy, I'm still learning how to manage both,” Sanchez said during Manila Bulletin’s The Sit Down podcast.
A life shaped by water
Kayla Sanchez during the awarding ceremony in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.
Swimming has long been a constant in Sanchez’s life.
Born in Singapore and raised in Canada by Filipino parents Noel and Susana, she first entered the sport at an early age.
“I joined a swimming team when I was four years old,” she said. “And then I started to progress, started swimming fast and winning races.”
What began as a childhood activity gradually turned into a daily routine.
“I’ve been swimming now for 20 years of my life, and a lot of my daily activities revolve around swimming,” she said.
Her talent soon placed her among Canada’s best young swimmers. At 15, she earned a spot on the national team after breaking national age-group records.
“The Canadian Olympic team center was right by my house. It was only 15 minutes away, and the coach there had noticed my times,” she recalled.
Training alongside elite athletes eventually led her to the Olympic stage, where she won silver and bronze medals in relay events at the Tokyo Olympics.
Returning to her roots
Kayla Sanchez switched her affiliation in 2022.
In 2022, Sanchez made a decision that reshaped the direction of her career. She switched allegiance to represent the Philippines, the homeland of her parents.
The move required a year of residency in the country, a period filled with adjustments both in and out of the pool.
“The transition was hard, I think. But I knew that on the other side of being able to represent the Philippines, it would all be worth it,” she said.
Training in the Philippines also presented a different challenge.
“It’s harder, I think, because it’s so humid. So, when you’re training max effort, you really feel the heat.”
Despite the adjustment, the experience strengthened her connection with the national team and the community around it.
Beyond the pool
Away from the competitive scene, Sanchez is also building a future outside the sport.
She is currently studying in university and plans to pursue nursing.
“I like the course content, it’s going to give me a direction right out of university,” she said.
Time management has become essential.
“Good time management is really, really important,” she explained. “Knowing when to put my phone down or knowing when to study, when to sleep.”
School also provides mental balance.
“If I’m only swimming, then it’s easy to focus on a bad practice. Instead, I can have a bad practice, and I can study, come back to the pool with a fresh mindset,” she said.
Her experience proves that success in one area does not eliminate challenges in another, but each can reinforce the other.
Rising to the occasion
Sanchez wasted little time introducing herself in the Philippine swimming scene.
At the Southeast Asian Games, she delivered a strong performance, collecting three gold medals and five silver medals across eight events.
The event demanded both endurance and composure.
“It’s a hard meet. Six days, and I raced every day. You go from executing one race to OK, that’s over. Now I need to execute another race,” she said.
Despite the expectations surrounding her, Sanchez kept her focus on the process.
“I really had no expectations going into the meet,” she said. “I knew there were expectations of me to bring back medals, and I think I had to just focus on my process and what I could do best and what I could control.”
Advice for student-athletes
Kayla Sanchez with her fellow podium finishers in SEA Games women's 100-meter backstroke final.
Sanchez hopes her journey inspires the next generation of Filipino athletes.
Her message is simple yet powerful.
“You have to train hard. You have to be disciplined. You have to manage your time,” she said.
“But it’s possible, and look for the right support system to get you to that place.”
For Sanchez, the goal remains growth — in swimming, in academics, and in life.
“I always want to keep improving,” she said.
The path is demanding, but it is also meaningful, proof that success can be built one step at a time, in and out of the water.