Mentor roles for dedicated duo | Rotorua Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Rotorua

The relationship between Sam Osborne and Cati Pearson bears all the hallmarks of an enduring one - support, understanding and teamwork.

The duo's potential was recently recognised by national body Triathlon New Zealand who have enlisted them in the National Youth Academy - a talent identification, mentoring and education programmed aimed at fostering triathletes coming up through the ranks.

The pair spend six days a week beating the feet along the forests of Rotorua, cranking up the mileage in the pool and putting the bike rubber to the road.

While Pearson is at pains to admit it, it's Osborne who cracks the whip when the workload starts to slip, baulking at suggestions of going easy on Pearson just because she's a girl.

Pearson, 17, said: "He pushes me a lot. He doesn't let me get away with anything.

To be considered for selection, the pair - coached by Greg Knight and Errol Newlands - needed to finish in the top eight at February's Kinloch sprint triathlon and be among the first five across the line in April's national schools triathlon in Karapiro.

The selection criteria also meant Osborne and Pearson needed to be within 10 per cent of the first under-19 athlete. Successful on all fronts, Pearson was selected in the development squad, while training compatriot Osborne made the performance squad. Making their respective academy squads will give the up-and-coming juniors the chance to learn from the best. Triathlon New Zealand youth development officer Scott Larsen waxed lyrical about the merits of the programme.

"Year on year, we do tracking on where the athletes have gone after completing the programme and a high majority of the athletes have gone onto race elite in this sport or another sport."

The youth programme, in its current form, has been running for three years, while earlier youth-centric programmes were introduced more than a decade ago. Larsen said, "With the programme being so young, we don't have any athletes that are going to Beijing, however Bevan Docherty and Debbie Tanner have been involved in similar programmes."

The next youth camp will be held in Gisborne next month, with former Ironman Cory Hutchings in line to attend, followed by a camp on the Gold Coast in September/October. It is some of triathlon's Olympic athletes will be able to attend.

With no elite female athletes in the programme last year, Pearson will be hoping her idol Sam Warriner will be among those who travel to Australia. "I look up to Sam Warriner. She's pretty damn good."