DURBAN North triathlete Henri Schoeman was in imperious form as he crossed the finish to win his second consecutive Ekurhuleni 5150 African Championship title recently. The win further underlined his status as one of the country’s brightest athletes. A strong swim in the beginning set up a comfortable win for the former Oakridge College pupil, who finished in a time of 01:47:03.
Schoeman finished four minutes ahead of his closest rival, Wian Sullwald. The championship was held at Germiston Lake. His win comes on the back of winning the Tongyeong ITU Triathlon World Cup in Korea recently and winning a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games.
“It’s a great feeling defending my 5150 title. It was a definite boost to my confidence and a super way to end the season. I was stoked to be able to finish four minutes ahead of Wian, he’s a super athlete,” he explained.
The 23-year-old also reflected on his second season on the International Triathlon Union (ITU) circuit.
“It’s been a pretty up and down season, but one with a silver lining. It’s been a huge learning curve. I started off with the Africa sprint race and then travelled to Auckland, Yokohama, London and Hamburg before competing at the Commonwealth Games. That was one of my most treasured moments competing at my first games.
“It was awesome to win silver in the mixed triathlon and I’m confident of using what I’ve learned this season to push for a spot in the South Africa Olympic squad in 2016 in Rio. It’s been a very tough journey travelling away from home for so long and also dealing with injuries.”
