Leighton Koopman
It took a lot for South Africa’s Olympic medal hopeful Henri Schoeman to get back onto the triathlon horse after the disappointment of the last Games in Tokyo.
He was one of the athletes tipped for top honours after winning bronze during the Rio 2016 event and claiming the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2018. The South African was ready to challenge for Olympic glory in Japan, just for an ankle injury before the competition to throw his onslaught into disarray.
Despite the injury, he chose to compete back then and it developed into a full-blown fracture that almost ended his career. But Schoeman is ready to chase that gold medal dream again as he and compatriot Jamie Riddle take on the world.
Olympic organisers were positive that the triathlon would still take place today, despite the level of pollution in the River Seine forcing two swimming training sessions to be cancelled. They have scheduled reserve days later in the week for the competition to be decided, otherwise it will be converted into a duathlon without the swimming.
Schoeman, 32, spoke about his journey to his third Games.
“Getting back to competitive form was truly one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do,” Schoeman said about his return to international competition after the Tokyo misfortunes.
He had surgery after the misfortunes in Japan and only started competing again last year and is currently ranked 54th in the world and second in Africa.
“It took more than I thought I had to give. There were definitely times when I thought I would never get back. But I did it. My wife Franzel was instrumental in getting me out of the dark place Tokyo left me in. She told me every day to keep going and when I couldn’t, she made sure to cheer me up and support me.”
Schoeman believes he will be flying under the radar in Paris and that should take any of the added pressure off him, allowing him to focus on the job at hand.
That is how things went in 2016 in Rio, when Schoeman claimed third place.
“I feel I am flying under the radar and prefer it that way. In Rio, people didn’t even consider me and that removes a great deal of pressure and attention. It’s similar circumstances now and I was able to enjoy training and preparation without the added pressure and anxiety of expectations.
“The build-up has gone well. I haven’t really changed preparation as the norm is to train as hard as you can and to try and be the best athlete you can be.
“With age comes more hard work and more niggles. I have to look after my body more carefully and listen to it. And I’ve learned to stick to the basics and do what works for you.
“There is a lot of noise and talk about new technology and changes to strategies. But sticking to what you know and what works will always be the best.”