Henri Schoeman

Henri Schoeman was born on October 3, 1991, in Vereeniging, South Africa. He began his athletic career as a strong swimmer during his school years, quickly developing into a talented long-distance swimmer for South Africa. In his mid-teens, Schoeman transitioned to triathlon, where he demonstrated early promise by winning the Under 19 South African championship for two consecutive years. His early career was marked by challenges, including stress fractures in his shins in 2009, which put him out of competition for two years. A mountain bike accident in 2011 caused another setback but allowed him time to recover and build physical strength.

Schoeman’s dedication led to significant achievements in the sport. He earned a silver medal in the mixed relay at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. In 2016, he competed in his first Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where he made history by winning a bronze medal in the men’s triathlon, marking South Africa’s first Olympic medal in the sport. The same year, he won the ITU World Triathlon Series Grand Final in Cozumel, ultimately finishing fourth overall in the series despite battling a suspected respiratory illness leading up to the Rio games. He continued his success by securing a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Throughout his career, Schoeman has consistently ranked in the top ten of the ITU World Rankings and has won multiple African Triathlon Championships, including in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2021. He also became the eSports World Champion in Triathlon in 2023. Henri Schoeman works with Mana Group to secure purposeful partnerships and has recently debuted in an Ironman-distance race at Challenge Roth in 2025.