Triathlon: Legend joins Shaw's worlds bid

Olly Shaw is building up to the World Championships.

Rotorua triathlete Olly Shaw is enjoying the benefits of having a multisport legend in his corner as he builds towards the Xterra World Championships in Hawaii.

Shaw, 23, specialises in Xterra (off-road triathlon) and burst on to the scene in 2012 by winning the 20-24 age group world title.

New Zealand multisport legend Richard Ussher has come on board to coach Shaw this year as he gears up for another crack at the Xterra World Championships elite race in November.

"[This year] I was just looking for someone who has a lot of experience and has been where I'm looking to go to and, you know, someone I thought would be a good mentor."

Ussher has won the Speights Coast to Coast multisport event five times and is considered multisport royalty in New Zealand.

"He has lots of different ideas with things that have worked for him in the past, so it has been good seeing what works and what doesn't," Shaw said.

"He is a pretty strong all-rounder and I think that is the kind of thing he is trying to push that you can't just win the race in one discipline, you have to be a strong all-rounder to consistently do well and beat the top guys in the world ... so that is what we are aiming for."

Shaw has spent plenty of time overseas this year racing Xterra competitions in Australia and the United States and is currently home taking a break. Well, sort of.

He is training anywhere from 25 to 30 hours a week in Rotorua and has his mind set on performing well at the Xterra World Championships - the biggest event of the year for Xterra athletes.

Last year Shaw raced in the men's elite division for the first time at the world champs but finished a disappointing 39th after a horror race.

"Ideally I'd like to finish top-five [this year], I have had a really good race against those top guys so I know that I can be competitive with them."

Shaw said his highlights this season were finishing third at his home event, Xterra New Zealand in Rotorua in April, where he led off the mountain bike, and finishing fourth against many of the world's best during the Xterra Asia-Pacific Champs in Australia in April.

Fellow Rotorua athlete Sam Osborne, who is primarily a road triathlete, has also been competing in Xterra races around the world this year and won Xterra Sweden in July.

Meanwhile, reigning Coast to Coast champion Braden Currie (Wanaka) has also proven himself a force to be reckoned with on the world stage.

"The Kiwis are really starting to dominate ... you would have to say there would be three of us that could potentially be in the top five in the world," Shaw said.

"So it is a pretty exciting time for New Zealand in off-road triathlon. It is cool to see."

He thanked his sponsors, including Destination Rotorua and new bike sponsor Santa Cruz.

Xterra races include a swim leg, mountain bike leg and trail run.

Shaw's father Deryck is New Zealand Football president.