“This is my second and biggest race I’ve tried.”

This is how Cebuano duathlete Franklin Yee described his upcoming campaign in the 2025 World Games set on August 7 to 17 in Chengdu, China.

The 23-year-old standout from the University of San Carlos qualified in the international multi-sport event staged every four years after a fifth place finish in the 2025 Asia Triathlon Duathlon Championships Manama, Bahrain.

Yee told GMA Regional TV News that he participated in the tournament, his first international race, primarily to gain experience.

“Niadto ra ko to represent our country for Asian games and that was my first international race, so, I kept on asking my seniors na unsay experience ani, what will happen, what might happen,” he said.

He has set a modest goal for himself - to finish in the Top 10 - but he grabbed the opportunity for a higher finish came when it came.

“Pag-start sa first round, naa ko sa first pack, 10 mi kabuok, so, sa last run sa run-bike-run around, six mi kabuok, so, I was thinking, I think I can do this, I can make it to Top 5,” Yee said.

The young prodigy is currently in a training camp in Clark, Pampanga for the final and crucial part of his preparations.

“The adrenalin, nervousness, everything kay maybe two weeks from now and mag-start na,” he said.

“Everything felt good, body is responding well, hopefully, we can deliver a great performance for our country,” he added.

This time around, Yee is setting a fair target for a bigger and much more competitive stage against athletes from Asia and other parts of the world.

“We’re about 36 participants joining and maybe Top 20, hopefully, kay mura’g ang playing field kay nag-level up man siya so lisud jud siya,” he said.

Coached by Lou Ramos, Yee started duathlon at a very young age of eight and joined competitively after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier in 2025, he became a member of the national team. He is on his last playing year in CESAFI where he hauled five golds during his rookie season.