Andy Potts and Becky Lavelle are going to win Clearwater

Too many people say, "I think so and so are going to win a certain race" when they make predictions. I'm considerably more arrogant than the average Joe and I like to think that I know a whole lot more about triathlon. So, instead of saying, "I think Potts and Lavelle will win in Clearwater", I'm telling you straight up--there's going to be an American sweep.

But first let me digress. America is not good at triathlon. If you were to list every country on earth from best tri-country to worst, we'd line up somewhere between Uzbekistan and Mongolia. I'm not sure if either of those countries have triathlons, or if Uzbekistan still exists (I'm pretty sure Mongolia does), but you get the point.

Enter Potts and Lavelle, who are probably our best shots for triathlon dominance in the near-future. Potts can win Kona as early as next year and Lavelle has the ability to win every 70.3 and non-drafting Olympic-distance race in the world. And they'll both win next weekend at the 70.3 World Championship. I'll spare you from having to log on to Ironman.com to check the results next week and give you a sneak peak of the podium:

MEN

1. Andy Potts (USA): He recovers incredibly quick, so the fact that he raced Kona two weeks ago shouldn't hold him back. Keep in mind that, although he did race an Ironman this year, his training was very much the same as last year when he won this race.

2. Terenzo Bozzone (NZL): I probably would've picked Terenzo to win, but the dude broke his wrist bunny-hopping a speed bump on the Big Island. That's gotta hold his swim back a bit.

3. Oscar Galindez (ARG): He was within mere seconds of taking down Potts last year and he can run really, really fast.

WOMEN

1. Becky Lavelle (USA): In a 70.3, short-coursers always beat out long-coursers, and that's why Becky will smoke the field.

2. Julie Dibens (GBR): She's scary fast on the bike and I expect her and Lavelle to push the pace big time. She'll lead Becky off the bike, but she doesn't have the run speed to hold her off.

3. Mirinda Carfrae (AUS): She's the polar opposite of Dibens. Not much of a rider, but one hell of a runner. Both Dibens and Lavelle know exactly how much of a gap they need at T2 to hold off the inevitable charge from Carfrae, who can outrun most of the pro men.

This week's props go to...

Obviously with Kona this past weekend I've got a lot of props to hand out. Yes, Chrissie Wellington and Craig Alexander deserve all the props in the world, but you already know that. These guys may not have finished on the podium, but they showed guts worthy of a shout-out on the race course. So, this week's props go to:

Bryan Rhodes (NZL): I caught up with Rhodsey about 20 minutes after he finished and he was a little upset with his performance. Sure, he finished 23rd, which was less than the Ironman Canada champ was expecting. However, it was the way he earned that 23rd spot that puts him on this list. Rhodsey went all out from the gun: Swimming with the second pack, riding with the leaders and hanging on for dear life on the run. He could've played it conservative and held back until the final half of the marathon (like he did in Canada and Ironman Florida last year), but he wanted to take his shot and a top-10 finish. Cheers Rhodsey--I still owe you a beer.

Andy Potts (USA): I spoke with Potts a couple of days before the race and asked him to pick his podium for the men's race. Surprisingly he didn't pick himself. He asked me for my picks and I told him I expected him to finish third. It was a bit of a fib. I knew he'd have a good go because he's a tough dude, but the realist in me didn't really think he had a shot at the top 10. Only six days after finishing second at the U.S. Open, Potts pulled off a seventh-place finish in Kona. Without a drafting call, he would've been in sixth. Not bad for a first timer. I'm calling it right now: Potts will win Kona in 2009 and he'll win Clearwater again this year.

Linsey Corbin (USA): As I was getting some follow-up pictures of the women's podium girls, I heard Mike Reily announce: "Here comes Linsey Corbin! Fifth overall and the first American." I have to admit I was a little shocked to see Linsey go so well. In hindsight I shouldn't have been. Linsey has been a rockstar since she turned pro two years ago and she's still on her way up. She has what it takes to win Kona, but she may have to wait until Wellington retires.