It may be Ryan Sissons' second Commonwealth Games but the 29-year-old still gets a kick out of being selected for New Zealand.
The 29-year-old has put in the hard yards in 2017, breaking through with third and fourth place finished at World Triathlon Series events in Hamburg and Stockholm respectively.
It's been without doubt his best year on the world scene and not just because of the podium finishes.
"I've had a very consistent year with every result in the top ten," Sissons said.
"To be on the podium [in Hamburg] was pretty epic. It's sort of like one of those dreams that you have to be on a podium in the world series and then to do it in Hamburg was pretty special and finishing 10th in the world I was pretty happy with that."
It has provided the Zimbabwe-born Kiwi renewed confidence heading into the Commonwealth Games. He now believes he is a genuine chance to win it.
Also giving him confidence is that fact that the Commonwealth Games course will be contested over a sprint distance, the same distance the Hamburg race was run over.
"I'm really happy that I showed myself in that race that I can be fast enough for it and I guess Gold Coast will be just as fast if not faster"
Sissons is enjoying some downtime currently before the preparation begins for the Gold Coast.
He will get a good training block done here in New Zealand over the summer a place that always provides him with a strong platform when he returns to competition - which Sissons says will be early next year.
But first he will need to make sure he is fully recovered from a hernia operation he had a week ago, an injury that has been lingering since August.
"I could have probably left it and raced Gold Coast but I figured if I was going to be pushing really hard for the next five months trying to be the best I can be there. There's always a risk of something's going to go wrong"
"I just decided just to get it fixed to know that I'm 100 percent fit and healthy leading into the Comm Games"
"Every games I've been to there's something leading into it or something you've done that's been special"
Sissons is one of five triathletes selected to go to the Gold Coast but is one of two who has previous games experience alongside Andrea Hewitt.
At just 29 years of age, Sissons has been around the triathlon circut for a while and knows he has plenty to offer for the young talent coming through like Nicole van der Kaay.
"I've been training with Ryan in the centralised program here in Cambridge for a couple of years now and he's great to have around, learn so much off him"
Van der Kaay is one of two 21-year-olds in the team along with Tayler Reid from Gisborne. Rebecca Spence makes up the five person squad, the first team to be announced for the Commonwealth Games in April.
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