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.”

Lenie de Nijs at the Orient Baths pool in East London for the 1958 South African Swimming Championships, where she won 5 titles.

In 1957 the de Robben Swimming Club from Holland, coached by Jan Stender, toured South Africa. Lenie was one of the swimmers in that team.

In July-August 1955 she broke three freestyle world records over 1500 m, 880 yd and 1760 yd distances. She then changed to backstroke, winning three national titles over 100 m (1956–1958) and setting world records in the 200 m backstroke (1957) and 4×100 m medley relay events (1956 and 1958).

Lenie remained in South Africa after the tour finished. She resided in Boksburg and swam for Eastern Transvaal ASA at the 1958 national swimming championships. The Eastern Transvaal, which was established in that year, won the Ellis Brown Aggregate Trophy for the first and only time that year. Commonwealth medallist Natalie Myburgh, the national champion in 100 and 200m freestyle, and  Ian Human, the 100 backstroke champion, were also in that team. 

Gold Medal winner at the 1930 Empire Games in Hamilton, Canada

 At the 1930 Empire Games, she finished first in the 3m diving, ahead of Doris Ogilvie and Mollie Bailey from Canada. There was no 1m event, and she did not compete in the 10m tower diving competition.

Oonagh Eleanor Allison Whitsitt was born in Durban on 1st May 1910 and became a Natal diver, whose father was the Chief Constable of the province. She later married Edward Shaw, who was to become Mayor of Durban and had a daughter Clodagh. She was a member of the Cygnus Amateur Swimming Club.

She was one of three divers who represented Natal at the 1926 South African swimming and diving championships, where she finished out of the medals. In 1927 she finished second behind Marjorie Harris. This result was repeated in 1928, and in 1929 she won the title for the first time.

In 1929 she was also a member of the Natal women's relay team, partnering with Olympic medallist Kathleen Russel and Muriel Ensore-Smth, to win the South African championship event.

At the 1930 SA Championships in Bloemfontein Oonagh Whitsitt again beat Mrs. Doods Bulley into second place with a 'wonderful running swallow dive'.

In 1934 she competed at the Commonwealth Games in London.

On August 7th, 1934 Oonagh Whitsitt finished 5th in the springboard diving at the Commonwealth Games held in London.

The Oonagh Whitsitt Cup to the winner of the women's 1m diving champion at the South African diving championships.

In the Durban suburb of Stamford Hill, there is a municipal swimming pool named in her honour, located in Sutton Park.

Since 1959  the Oonagh Whitsitt Trophy commemorates her achievements the annual South African Diving Championships, presented to the winner in the women's 1m event.

William "Billy" Steuart was born on 28 August 1936 in Johannesburg. He married local girl Gail Schleicher, and later moved to Davis, California, where he died in April 2022.

Billy won the 440-yard freestyle at the 1954 South African Championships in Port Elizabeth, and in 1955 in Pretoria he won the 220, 440 and 1650-yard events, placing second in the 100-yard freestyle. The next year at the SA Championships in Durban he made a clean sweep - winning all of the freestyle events. He moved to the USA in 1957 to study and swim at the University of Michigan.

In the NCAA Championships, he achieved a remarkable double by winning and defending both the 440 and 1500m yard freestyle events in 19658 and 1959. In 1961 the University of Michigan awarded Billy the Chester Brewer Leadership Award (Presented to a graduating senior in his or her last year of eligibility for distinguished performance in athletics and scholarship and for possessing a high degree of leadership qualities and skill.)

He competed in three events at the 1956 Summer Olympics, where his best result was 8th place in the 4x200 freestyle relay.

He finished third in the 4 x 220 yards freestyle relay (with Dennis Ford, Graham Johnston, and Peter Duncan), fourth in the 1650 yards freestyle and sixth in the 440 yards freestyle at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.

Billy competed in Masters swimming, holding numerous US records and winning All-American awards.