Franklin ‘Ferdie’ Yee during the 2024 Clark Duathlon Classic. | Photo from Asia Tri-Marvin Manalang
CEBU CITY, Philippines—Rising multisports athlete Franklin Ferdie Yee has been giving everyone a run for their money in recent races.
This 21-year-old lad recently etched his name as one of the best up-and-comers in the world of multisports, particularly in duathlon and triathlon.
This after he ruled two consecutive races within a month. First, Yee emerged as the overall champion of the Cebu Duathlon.
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Most recently, he earned a record-setting win in the 2024 Clark Duathlon Classic by being the only competitor in the race to finish it in sub-two hours.
For Yee, he is still dumbfounded from his recent big wins.
“Murag speechless kaayo ko pag finish kay wala ko ga expect maka break ug record ug maka place ug first. That was my first race this year, and I was happy to get the podium. A great way to start the year” said Yee during his guesting with the CDN SportsTalk.
Who is Franklin Yee?
Yee is one of four siblings who grew up in Barangay Cogon in Bogo City, north of Cebu.
He is currently taking up business administration as a student-athlete at the University of San Carlos (USC) under the tutelage of seasoned track and field coach Arvin Loberanis.
Yee has always been a fan of endurance sports like running, triathlon, and duathlon, even if his family doesn’t have a background in these sports.
“I really liked these sports that much, it drives me to improve myself. I saw a lot of improvement and I liked it by training a lot,” said Yee, who is also the top elite athlete from Asian Orthopedics.
“I realized while training and when I started competing, naganahan ko sa results maka place pud diay ko? That’s why na push nako akong self to compete. Akong family, sometimes sila mag push nako, pero most of the time, it’s all about me. Pero they always support me.”
Well coached
As a student-athlete, Yee admitted that it also has its own unique challenge. Still, he is thankful for his Loberanis for guiding him on and off the track.
“Coach Arvin is quite a different coach than the others. He’s more than a coach, he’s also acting like a father to me. He also gives me advice not just in sports but also in life,” said Yee.
“Balancing my time being an athlete and a student, kapoy sad gyud pag divide sa oras ug training ug pag socialize gamay. Pero madala ra man, ang routine maanad ra sad ka madugay.”
Yee revealed that he will be racing in his age group next month’s IRONMAN 70.3 Lapu-Lapu.