Peter Thliveros

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Peter Thliveros has the elite status as ESPN Great Outdoor Games' only Bass Fishing gold medalist.

But with that unparalleled honor comes the pressure faced by athletes who dominate their game: raising the competition bar each time they win.

"I don't at all like being in this position," said Thliveros, the defending gold medalist from the 2001 event and also its winner in 2000.

"It's making me pressure myself more than last year. I really didn't expect to repeat then and I just went fishing. This year it will be different.

"There is obviously an expectation for me to keep up the streak and I'd rather not be in that position."

For the 42-year-old Floridian to pull off a threepeat will not be easy.

When the Bass Fishing event kicks off Friday near Lake Placid, Thliveros will be going rod-to-rod with nine of bass fishing's top pros.

Names that include the likes of defending CITGO BASSMASTERS Classic champion Kevin VanDam, 28-time Classic qualifier Rick Clunn and newly crowned B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year Davy Hite, among others.

The competition will take place on a chain of lakes: Upper Saranac, Middle Saranac, Lower Saranac and Flower Lake. Of the three, Thliveros favors the middle lake.

Not surprisingly, the areas that played a supporting role in his gold medal performances have gained their own elite level of popularity.

	“	I don't at all like being in this position. It's making me pressure myself more than last year. I really didn't expect to repeat then and I just went fishing. This year it will be different. ”
		— Peter Thliveros

"I was out there practicing on Sunday and a local guy came up and told me how many fish he'd caught off the holes where I won the event," he said.

"And that's how it goes. But what will make this tough is that 10 guys, including myself, will be jockeying for position in the three or four good areas."

Aquatic vegetation has been the common denominator for Thliveros' winning strategies, and he says the grass will again be a key.

"But there doesn't seem to be as much this time as in years past," he said after scouting the lake earlier this week.

Other scouting notes mentioned by Thliveros include higher water that likely came as a result of above-average rainfall in the Adirondacks region. Water temperature is also warmer than last year, he observed.

"With not a lot of grass, and maybe not enough to go around, it could come down to the location of the baitfish," he predicts. "I don't really think I'll have a 'pre-game' strategy though.

"This one will come down to making adjustments on the water, depending on what the fish are doing at the time and how the other guys are fishing."

Adding spice to this already hot contest is its unique and challenging format. The 10-angler field will be cut to five finalists with their weights zeroed after Friday's qualifying round. Fishing with a clean slate on Saturday, the anglers will compete in the gold medal round.

The weigh-ins on Friday and Saturday are at The Oval in downtown Lake Placid. Weigh-in time is 4 p.m. on both days. Admission is free.