Step forward the new and improved Tyler Butterfield.

No longer is coming first the be all and end all, no longer does training mean getting up at unearthly hours every day for fear of losing that competitive edge, no longer will the body be pushed beyond its natural endurance.

In short, Butterfield has discovered there is life outside of triathlon.

Not that he has given up the race. No, quite the opposite. He has just realised that he can better achieve his goals without the weight of the world on his shoulders, without pressure from others and, most importantly, without pressure from himself.

As he put it: "You can only do 100 percent and I was trying to do 110."

As the 20-year-old prepares to take part in the Triathlon World Championships in New Zealand next month, Butterfield revealed just what had brought him to this new way of thinking.

"It came as the result of a knee injury and over-training," said Butterfield from his base on Australia's Gold Coast on Thursday night. "I just didn't want to train (after that). I would go to training sessions and have no desire to be there."

The burnout came as the result of an overwhelming desire to make next year's Olympics.

"It was everything and, realistically, at 20 there is probably no one else my age aiming for the Olympics in triathlon," he said.

"I put the pressure on myself. I didn't look at these Worlds or the next ones in six months' time, I just looked at the Olympics.

"Now I realise the Olympics isn't everything. In four more years there will be another one and I will probably be older and better. I am still trying but first I am going to go these Worlds and then the next ones in May and by then I will know whether I have made it or not. All I can do is try my best, I can't do anymore than that."

Butterfield spent more than 12 months on the sidelines, his comeback being just last weekend and that was what he described as a "fun" outing. Before that his last race was the World Championships in Cancun,Mexico, a year and a week ago.

"Taking a break, you look at it from an outsider's point of view," he said. "I was no longer in it. I no longer trained. I trained when I wanted to or just went out for a bike ride with friends. You get a different point of view.

"It was no longer everything that I did.

"Earlier, it was the only thing I did and it was everything. If I didn't make it it was like 'Oh, well what I am going to do?' Now, I just see other opportunities and stuff that, if it doesn't work out, I can do or if I want to keep training for four years or go to school for two and train for the next Olympics in two more years, I can. I am still just as determined but you can only do 100 percent and I was trying to do 110 and just got injured and burned out."

Though his views have matured by accident rather than design Butterfield says he is happy with the way things have panned out.

"It's not a break I took on purpose but I would never change it," he said. "Looking back, I have definitely changed my outlook and things have been going pretty good."

Butterfield will take this fresh approach into the Worlds in Queenstown on December 7 when he competes in the Elite Under-23 division.

"They should be fun. It's a good trip and it makes it easier to train because it gives you something to look forward to being only three weeks away," he said. "If I had an average race and was in the middle of the pack I wouldn't be surprised, but then again, if I had a good race and I was towards the top end I wouldn't be surprised either.

"I have been pretty pleased with the last couple of weeks so either way I think I will be pleased because my expectations are a lot lower than last year. Then, I said top ten and I'll be happy but in my mind I knew what I was capable of and what I should do.

"This year, I am not sure so I'll probably be pretty happy with anything."