well the rumor was that the real reason he left oregon was that he was failing his classes and wasn't going to be eligible in the winter or spring. part of the reason why he was so good in running was his singular focus on training and racing. he forewent nearly every normal pleasure most high school kids enjoy in that regard. he now has no degree and really no education and has managed to piss off a very large segment of the tri community. what do you think he could do to make a living at this point?

Well, he could always become a used car salesman, or sell life insurance:)

the SEAL comment was beyond preposterous given the extreme importance the SEALs place on teamwork and how there are probably few people on this planet who couldn't be any more the opposite of what they look for. he wouldn't make it through the first day of BUDS as they seek out to eliminate the egocentric and self-absorbed types. i remember reading about how BUDS classes often have superstar former D1 athletes in them and the ones with inflated senses of self-worth get bounced at that start (think star football QBs). this isn't surprising given that they are looking for the type of person who literally will fall on a grenade without giving a second thought in order to save his teammates. i hope his has changed his ways or sutton can help guide him in that regard.

let's just say that he is at the complete opposite end of the spectrum of the aforementioned. you also can add joanna zeiger to the list of triathletes with outstanding academic accomplishments.

The race is on Saturday (Japanese time).

Predictions anyone?

I'm expecting the women's race to be boring beyond belief, with Gwen Jorgensen winning with ease. There is no Sarah True or Katie Zaferes, and generally a weak field. Non Stanford makes her much awaited come back, so if she can negotiate the swim, I'd expect her to podium. It is expected to rain, so there is just a chance this will cause problems on the bike which would possibly produce an unexpected result...

The men's field is also lacking in depth, with only Mola, Gomez and Alistair Brownlee among the big names. There is also no Richard Varga, A. Raphael or Fabian to take the swim out fast, but Coninx and Schoeman are the ones to watch. Also look out for the UK's Tom Bishop who often has front pack runs and is a good cyclist, so a breakaway is a possibility, made more likely by the lack of cycling firepower among the lesser swimmers (Sven Riederer will have to do most of the work.)

If Alistair B is acclimatised, as he wasn't last year (but has been training and Southern Spain and also traveled to Japan much earlier than last year), I'd expect him to win whatever the scenario. But the temperatures may be against him, in which case, one would not bet against Gomez. I don't think Mola is going to be fresh enough to challenge Gomez this time.

Not expecting fireworks, although I thought that about Cape Town and it produced two exciting races

Gomez is going from Japan to the London WTS race (a sprint), and then two weeks later, will be doing the Stafford half iron man... He has also signed a contract with the Bahrain Endurance 13 squad. That is a lot of punishment on a 32 year old body and I heard Jonny Brownlee saying at a press conference that "we haven't a clue how he is able to do this", because the Brownlees may look superhuman on race day but they do pay the price afterwards with fatigue etc! Gomez seems not to.