Henri Schoeman

Henri was probably always destined for sporting greatness. His father, Joe, raced at national level as a keen track runner. His older brother, Riaan, represented South Africa at two Olympic Games as a swimmer.

Growing up in Vereeniging, South Africa, Henri was running on the track and swimming in the ocean from an early age. Inspired by the speed, athleticism and dedication of his older sibling, Henri wanted to be an Olympic swimmer, but when he realised he wouldn’t make it he switched his attention to triathlon.

Henri’s focus changed from enjoying sport to wanting to make it a career when as a 16-year-old he watched his then 18-year-old brother race in the 400m medley at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

It was a strong transition from one sport to three for Henri who quickly picked up race wins in South Africa with two Under-19 titles. However, the physical toll of running more regularly took its toll on his body and he spent almost three years struggling with stress fractures and various other injuries.

Henri found it a tough time mentally, living in the shadow of his brother and unsure whether he could make it to the top of his chosen sport. But soon enough the boot was on the other foot and it is now the retired Riaan who cheers on Henri.

Henri made it into the elite of men’s racing in 2013, his hugely impressive swim always meaning he is out of the water at the front of the race. By 2014, Henri was African champion and collected a Mixed Relay silver at the Commonwealth Games and gold at the Tongyeong World Cup event.

By the time he was on the start line at the Olympics in Rio in 2016 he had established himself as a force on the world scene. Despite struggling with illness before the event, he had the perfect day in Brazil and kicked home to finish third and collect a coveted bronze medal. He upped that to gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2018.

Henri has also been a regular on the Super League Triathlon circuit and has been one of the most consistent performers. In the 2018 Championship Series he finished second in all four events to take the silver medal in the overall standings behind Vincent Luis with the two enjoying some epic battles.

Henri has been coached by his father, Joe Schoeman, throughout his career, and admits the pair have butted heads on occasion but have great respect for each other.

Henri suffered more than most during the lockdown after contracting COVID-19 and didn’t feel fully recovered for six months. Those struggles have continued as Schoeman broke his foot in 2020 Tokyo Olympics and then fractured his elbow and arm in a bike crash last year which forced him to withdraw from the 2022 SLT Championship Series. 

Now fully on the road to recovery, Schoeman made his comeback at Arena Games Triathlon Montreal Powered by Zwift, where he enjoyed an emotional podium finish taking the silver medal behind an imperious Chase McQueen.

He met his wife Franzel when they were 18 and cites her input as one of the most important factors in his success. The couple recently became parents for the first time.