Filipino triathlete champ August Benedicto not resting on his laurels

Filipino triathlete August Benedicto. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

CEBU CITY—August Benedicto is regarded as one of the best triathletes of the in the country, having finished in the top 10 of the past Ironman 70.3 Philippine races.

But his success has never gone to his head, even when he’s considered the face of the Philippines in the event.

“As I always say as long as the race hasn’t ended, you can’t say that you’re the champion,” said Benedicto in Filipino Friday at Shangri-La Mactan here. “For me, when I wake up on a positive mood and you feel that you will have a good finish then you have a good chance at the race.”

Benedicto was the fastest Asian Elite in the past two 70.3 races, finishing ninth in Davao last March and 10th in Subic in June, but he still doesn’t want to preempt his place in Cebu on Sunday.

This time, Benedicto will be racing alongside Nikko Huelgas, a two-time gold medalist in the Southeast Asian Games and the no.91 athlete in the International Triathlon Union’s rankings.

“This will be a good fight on Sunday [race day]. Nikko Huelgas is here and let’s see what happens then,” said Benedicto, who also expressed his happiness that there are other elite Filipino triathletes in the race.

“It’s a good thing because there’s another Asian Elite coming in and the people won’t just be supporting me since there are also other racers that they would look out for.”

Benedicto admitted that even at this point in his career, he still always feels the pressure every race.

“Of course there’s pressure but I always pray whenever I race but there’s my family who’s always supporting me, sponsors like Alaska and sir Fred Uytengsu,” said Benedicto. “I always see that as motivation to always be better and calm my nerves.”