Henri Schoeman
Henri Schoeman was born on 3 October 1991 in Vereeniging. He is the brother of the South African swimmer, Riaan Schoeman.
“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.
Henri finishing his first Midmar Mile.
Schoeman was a strong swimmer at school and soon progressed to be a strong talent at long-distance swimming for his country. He switched sports to take up the triathlon in his mid-teens and won the Under 19 South African championship.
He represented his country at the 2016 ITU Grand Final in Cozumel, where he won the gold medal. The win came in the final 500m, as Schoeman bypassed Jonathan Brownlee (GBR), who struggling in the heat, and Alistair Brownlee (GBR), who had stopped to help will his brother over the line.
In the 2014 Commonwealth Games, he won a silver medal in the mixed relay - with Gillian Sanders, Kate Roberts and Richard Murray. All four athletes on a team must complete a super-sprint triathlon - 300m swim, approx 6.6km bike and 1km run - before tagging off to a teammate.
At the 2016 Summer Olympics, he won a bronze medal, which was South Africa's first, and so far only, Olympic medal in the sport.
He won the triathlon gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.
His bronze at Rio in 2016 is the first Olympic medal South Africa has won in the sport.
In 2021, he competed in the men's triathlon at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo.
“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.
2014 Commonwealth Games Mixed Relay silver medal winners from South Africa - Kate Roberts, Henri Schoeman, Gillian Sanders and Richard Murray.
Henri Schoeman Born to be an Olympian
25 July 2016
In the quarter century that Henri Schoeman’s been alive, there’s never been a time when he wasn’t involved in some sort of sport. Growing up with a father who excelled in running, cycling and duathlon, Henri and his brother Riaan would often join him at the track.
Later they would do surf lifesaving and become champion swimmers. In high school Henri became the best long distance swimmer in his age group in South Africa; but it was at the age of 17 that Henri decided to shift focus and transition into triathlon. In the triathlon, Henri would go on to win the national u/19 Triathlon Championships for two consecutive years, win the African Championship 4 times, win the world cup and come home with a silver in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the UK.
To say Henri Schoeman was born to be an Olympian would be an understatement.
“I’ve dreamt of going to the Olympics since I can remember.”
Dreaming and doing are vastly different and getting to the Olympics has meant a tough training schedule and early nights.
“I wake up at 04:55, go to swimming, and finish around 07:00, I would then have breakfast and start my bike session. This is followed by a nap and lunch. At around 15:00 I start getting ready for either a hard or easy run. Afterwards, I will have an ice bath for recovery and then I have dinner. I try to get to bed between 21:00 and 22:00.”
16 August 2026 SCHOEMAN RECLAIMS IRONMAN 70.3 LAPU-LAPU TITLE
https://justplainsport.com/more-sports/henri-schoeman-ironman-lapu-lapu/
Congratulations to Henri Schoeman — champion in Cebu again. First out of the swim, clear on the bike, and holding on through cramps to clock 4:08:52 for a second IRONMAN 70.3 Lapu-Lapu title.
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"Two years of chasing form and Schoeman still comes back to Cebu and makes the rest of the field chase shadows – that's the mark of a champion who refuses to be written off!" – Jay
Congratulations to Henri Schoeman, who has won the IRONMAN 70.3 Lapu-Lapu title in Cebu, crossing the line in 4:08:52 to reclaim the crown he first took in 2024.
The Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallist led from the swim through to the finish on Mactan Island on Sunday, holding off a fast-finishing Sebastian Fuchs over the closing kilometres of the run.
Henri Schoeman clocked 4:08:52 across the 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21km run course, two years after winning here in 4:02:31. He sat out the 2025 edition entirely, which makes this his second win in two starts at the race rather than in two seasons.
The plan was set from the water. Schoeman was first out of a choppy swim, then went to work on the bike as the heat built across Mactan.
Henri Schoeman:
“I tried to push as hard as I could in the swim, I created a gap on the bike and then I just wanted to hold my pace, hold the gap to the guys behind as best I could which I did and then on the run I just wanted to make sure that I got to the finish line because I know it gets really hot on the run and I wanted to make sure I didn’t overdo it.”
“Two years of chasing form and Schoeman still comes back to Cebu and makes the rest of the field chase shadows – that’s the mark of a champion who refuses to be written off!” – Jay
It came at a cost. A bike mishap the day before racing was followed by that rough swim and a blustery ride, and by the closing stretch of the half marathon his body was going.
Henri Schoeman:
“I’m feeling pretty tired, my legs are like rocks now, I was cramping up towards the end of the run. You know I’m really happy that I came back, I won the race and despite everything that happened during the week once again I’m the champion here so I can’t complain about anything.”
The chase behind him was tight. Fuchs took second for Austria, with New Zealand’s Ben Hamilton completing the podium.
1st Henri Schoeman (RSA) – 4:08:52
2nd Sebastian Fuchs (AUT) – 4:12:51
3rd Ben Hamilton (NZL) – 4:14:34
The men’s professional field this year was one of the strongest assembled for the race, and Schoeman had little margin for error against it. He didn’t need it. Fuchs and Hamilton never got close enough to force a decision, and the South African triathlete held his shape through the heat to close it out.
The 34-year-old has spent two seasons chasing a return to the level that made him one of triathlon’s most recognisable names.
Henri Schoeman:
“It means so much, I’ve had a really tough two years, struggling to find my form so this win is going to give me confidence, and it shows that I’m a really good athlete and there’s more to come.”
Over 1,400 athletes from 48 countries took part on Mactan Island, with Australia’s Natalie Van Coevorden taking the women’s professional title. Two wins in Cebu, separated by a year away and a long search for form, put Schoeman firmly back among the frontrunners heading into the rest of the season.
Images via IRONMAN 70.3 Lapu Lapu