In this photo released by the International Triathlon Union, first placed Daniel Unger of Germany, center, second placed Matt Reed of the United States, left, and third placed Hendrik DeViliers of South Africa, right, third place, pose on the podium for the Men's event at the Richards Bay BG Triathlon World Cup, Richards Bay, South Africa, Sunday, May 4, 2008.

S wim 1,500-meters in open water, bike 26 miles on grueling terrain, and finish up with a strenuous 6.2-mile run - just another day in the life of U.S. Olympic Triathlete, Matty Reed.

Reed, a 33-year old native of Palmerston North, New Zealand and current resident of North Boulder, has recently qualified for the U.S. Triathlon team for the upcoming 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Standing 6-foot-5, 'Boom Boom' as he is referred to by his closest mates, is looking to do nothing less than medal on the world's largest stage.

"I am not traveling across the world to simply participate, I want to win," said a confident Reed.

Boasting three top five finishes in 2008 competition and three victories in 2007, Reed has good reason to hold such high hopes. He is quite possibly in the best shape of his life and has drastically improved his former weakness in the running portion of the race.

As a result, Reed recently said, "I don't have a weakness," in regards to the run portion of triathlons.

A major topic of conversation circling the 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing is the poor quality of the air, due to the pollution. While this weather will certainly play a major role for a majority of the athletes in the games, Reed has a much more positive outlook.

"All of us (athletes) have the same conditions to deal with so it's important not to dwell on the variables and just go for it," said Reed.

The triathlon event will be held August 18-19 at a scenic area of the Ming Tomb Reservoir in the Chingpang district of Northern Beijing. Reed is quite familiar with the territory as this will be his third time competing on the very same course, certainly an advantage over much of the competition.

One athlete that no one is overlooking him is Spain's Javier Gomez. Gomez has won six of the eight events he has entered this season and is the odds-on-favorite to win the third annual triathlon event this summer.

Another competitor that Reed is well aware of is his older brother and inspiration, Shane Reed.

While Matty will be competing for the red, white, and blue of the United States, Shane has maintained his New Zealand citizenship and will be competing as a Kiwi in the summer games.

Shane may not be among the upper echelon of the 50 competitors competing this summer but Matty believes he may be a bit overlooked.

"Shane has a lot of potential and if he can put it all together he could be right up there," he said.

The Reed brothers grew up living and competing in New Zealand but in 2002 Matty moved to the United States to marry his wife Kelly. Matty qualified for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens but had not obtained United States citizenship in time for the competition, missing out on a major goal.

With the Beijing Games looming, Matty could not be more focused or prepared. It is the opportunity of a lifetime and after the race starts, "Boom Boom" just might bring that Olympic gold medal back to Boulder, Colo.

Contact Bennett Spector about this story at (303) 443-6272 ext. 112 or sports@coloradodaily.com