Henri qualifies for Rio Olympics
This will be the 24-year-old's first appearance at the Olympic Games.
YAMASHITA Park, Yokohama city was the backdrop as Durban North resident and triathlete, Henri Schoeman celebrated his dream come true. The former Oakridge College pupil finished seventh in the race has now qualified for the Rio Olympic Games. The race was the fourth stop of the International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Triathlon Series. It was a marked improvement from his previous ITU races which saw him finish in 42nd in Abu Dhabi, 12th in Australia and 6th in Cape Town.
The 24-year-old is a three-time International Triathlon Union (ITU) African Champion, a two-time 5150 African Champion, an ITU SA champ, an ITU World Cup winner in Tongyeong and a silver medalist at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, and can now add hopeful Olympic medalist to his impressive CV.
“With my form leading up into the race I was very excited to race Yokohama and see what kind of performance I could deliver. I’m pleased with my seventh but once again slightly disappointed because I allowed four positions to slip in the final kilometer. Nevertheless I gave it my all. I’m really excited that I have qualified for my first Olympics in Rio.
“The two year qualification period demanded good results and consistency. I also had a breakthrough run at 29:57 for 10km. My first sub-30 10km is something I have been working very hard at with my dad and coach, Joe Schoeman. I swam well and I biked well considering I was conserving my energy as it was going to be a fast running race. I made sure I was up towards the front going into the transition which set me up for a good position on the run,” he said.
Schoeman is now fifth on the WTS Ranking.
“I’m going to take a well deserved break this week. Spend some quality time with my girlfriend before the real training for Rio begins. I’m very excited knowing where my form is and what I need to tweak leading into the Olympics in August. I just wanted to say a special thank you to all those that have supported and believed in me over the years to reach one of my dreams,” he said.
