DURBAN North triathlete, Henri Schoeman, was a class apart as he dominated the Buffalo City ATU Triathlon African Championships in East London recently. The event, which doubled as the SA Champs, meant the former Oakridge College pupil was crowned African and South African champ.
This was the 24-year-old’s second national title after a two-year break and his fourth successive African title.
“I’m extremely happy with my performance. The aim was always to try and defend my title, so it was fantastic to clinch the title in such testing conditions. I really struggled during the race, I wasn’t feeling great. I had a knee injury coming into the event so I wasn’t a 100 per cent confident, especially during the run, but to finish the way I did was pleasing,” he said.
Schoeman took the lead from the start and exited the water well ahead of the chasing pack. In the cycling leg of the race, he was well ahead of the following pack, enough of a lead to just cruise on the run, finishing in two hours. He also finished three minutes, 17 seconds ahead of his closest rival, Wian Sullwald.
The Savell Avenue resident is currently ranked 12th in the world and says consistency is key to achieving his dream and landing a coveted spot in the South African team for Rio 2016.
