By MC3 Brian H. Abel

NPS student Ensign Clayton Petty prepares for a training session aboard the bicycle that carried him to a fifth place finish at the Armed Forces Triathlon in Hammond, Ind., June 7. Petty came to NPS after earning a special appointment to the Navy's nuclear power training pipeline through the prestigious Adm. Frank Bowman Scholars Program.

Due to his performance at the Armed Forces Triathlon, Petty was selected to represent the U.S. in the Military World Games, which will be held in Seoul, South Korea later this year.

"I did well enough and happened to be at a place like NPS where training is great and the administration is really supportive of me going," said Petty. "I'm taking some time off to take part in this once in a lifetime opportunity."

The road to the Military World Games was not easy. Petty follows a strict diet and training regimen. He trained throughout high school and his time at the Naval Academy to excel in his grueling sport, which combines swimming, running and biking.

Petty hopes that his years of dedication to a sport he loves will pay off when he joins some 7,000 athletes representing 110 nations at the Military World Games in October.