Every month the Northglen News will profile sporting heroes who compete across a wide spectrum of sporting codes. These could include World or SA Champions or even rising stars who look set to take the sporting world by storm. Either way, if they are excelling or are passionate about the sport they play, then they stand a chance of featuring as our ‘Homegrown Sport Talent’ page.
A SPORT as dynamic as triathlon with it’s three pronged approach of running, biking and swimming race requires a dynamic approach. And when your easiest training day of the week is a gut busting three-hour workout, you know you’re putting in the hard yards and are on the right track. In his career, Durban North resident, Henri Schoeman, has seen this pay off. 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.
The former Oakridge College pupil is currently ranked 12th in the world in the ITU standings, and is quietly confident of achieving his biggest dream to date; securing a spot on the South African team for the Rio Olympics. Northglen News recently caught up with the local athlete to find out where it all began.
“I was born in Vereeniging and when we moved down to Durban my parents wanted my brother, Riaan and I, to start swimming lessons. My dad, Joe, was also runner and he competed in a number of half-marathons and duathlons. He was obviously a big influence on us growing up. After a few lessons, my coach, Alisdair Hatfield, who saw potential in me, told my parents that I could excel in the sport.
“I really enjoyed swimming and my results became an indicator to me that I could do this. In primary school, I was the Victor Ludorum at nearly every swimming gala and in high school I was the best endurance swimmer in the country in my age group. After a while though, my performances in the pool waned and I decided to make the choice of swapping to triathlons. Having a swimming background, I made the transition, which was slow at first, but I really found my niche,” he explained.
Henri in action. PHOTO: Taichi Aoyama
It proved to be a savvy move as Schoeman began making a name for himself in the world of triathlons. His passion and focus now is to represent South Africa on the biggest stage of them all, the Olympics.
“My brother represented the country at the 2008 and 2012 games in swimming and it’s been a dream since I was a little boy to represent my country at the Olympics. It’s the pinnacle of every athlete’s dream, and I’m focusing on being the best I can be and keeping the momentum going. I had a good year last year. I ended the year fourth at the Stockholm ITU event which was my equal career best in the series in the elite men’s division. This year I’m hoping to carry the consistency through and also improve on my performances from last year,” he said.
My Favourites
Fave sports to watch: “It would have be athletics.”
Fave food: “Pizza.”
Fave TV show/channel: “Blindspot.”
Fave musician/band: “Calvin Harris.”
Fave quote: ‘Don’t sweat the small stuff’
