Henri Schoeman sprung South Africa’s biggest surprise of the Rio Olympics yesterday when he stormed to bronze in the men’s triathlon, just two days after he lay bed with high fever, weeping for his misfortune.
His more favoured compatriot Richard Murray, playing catch-up after the swim, blistered his feet as he delivered a brave run to end in fourth place.
Durban-based Schoeman, a stronger swimmer than Murray, came out of the water with the breakaway and he stuck there throughout the 40km cycle, preserving his legs as much as he could.
He was sixth going into the run – his weakest of the three legs – yet he held firm as three runners ahead of him wilted under the hot Brazilian sky.
Schoeman was never going to catch the invincible Brownlee brothers of Britain – Alistair taking the gold and Jonathan the silver.
But he was solid enough to land the first international triathlon medal of his career, and South Africa’s eighth gong of the Games; by yesterday evening the haul comprised one gold, five silver and two bronze.
“I knew the heat was going to be a bit of a factor and that hard bike was also going to be a factor,” said Schoeman, 24.
“I was saving my legs a lot so I knew towards the end there was going to be some casualties. I tried to keep my cool at the beginning and it paid off at the end.”
The last two laps of the run, however, were tough.
“I knew on my last lap I just had to dig deep, hold on to that third.
“That last stretch I was basically just sprinting for my life,” said Schoeman, who was on such a high after the race he felt he “could go another one”.
Fortune was with him yesterday, he admitted. The breakaway “gave us the chance to get away from the faster runners behind, like Richard, Mario Mola”. “It just worked out all in my favour.”
Yet Schoeman received the all-clear to race only the day before.
“A week ago I fell ill and I’ve had fever the whole week.
“Two days ago I was struggling with some high fever … I was so emotional two days ago that I was in tears. I didn’t do any training, I was just laying in bed trying to recover,” said Schoeman, the younger brother of swimmer Riaan, a two-Olympian at the past two Games.
Schoeman is a former swimmer who, after he stopped growing at 1.70m, was forced to switch codes to realise his dream of making the Olympics.
“It’s hard mentally because you prepare 15 years of your life for this and you do all the best preparation that you can and all of a sudden two days before the biggest race of your life you think you’re not going to race.”
Few people had given Schoeman much of a chance, but he himself had insisted he was a medal hope before the showpiece – and proved himself right.
Murray, who shattered his collarbone in a race in April, was a minute behind after the swim, and nearly 90 seconds behind after the cycle leg.
He started in the second chase group and worked his way to the front of the first group by the end of the cycle.
Murray surged strongly in the run, narrowing the gap, overhauling a bunch of competitors to move into fourth spot by just seven seconds at the finish.
He was the fastest runner on the day, clocking 30min 34sec, but his 18:20 swim was only 47th.
Murray had been unable to practise his swimming for six weeks after his accident.
Murray, a colourful character who was disqualified for ranting at officials in his last triathlon in Germany last month, praised the organisation of this event.
The last time South Africans finished third and fourth at an Olympics was 16 years ago, Penny Heyns and Sarah Poewe in the women’s 100m breaststroke.
At Athens 2004 Roland Schoeman took silver and Ryk Neethling fourth in the 100m freestyle.
Henri storms to secure triathlon bronze for SA
His more favoured compatriot Richard Murray, playing catch-up after the swim, blistered his feet as he delivered a brave run to end in fourth place.
Durban-based Schoeman, a stronger swimmer than Murray, came out of the water with the breakaway and he stuck there throughout the 40km cycle, preserving his legs as much as he could.
He was sixth going into the run – his weakest of the three legs – yet he held firm as three runners ahead of him wilted under the hot Brazilian sky.
Schoeman was never going to catch the invincible Brownlee brothers of Britain – Alistair taking the gold and Jonathan the silver.
But he was solid enough to land the first international triathlon medal of his career, and South Africa’s eighth gong of the Games; by yesterday evening the haul comprised one gold, five silver and two bronze.
“I knew the heat was going to be a bit of a factor and that hard bike was also going to be a factor,” said Schoeman, 24.
“I was saving my legs a lot so I knew towards the end there was going to be some casualties. I tried to keep my cool at the beginning and it paid off at the end.”
The last two laps of the run, however, were tough.
“I knew on my last lap I just had to dig deep, hold on to that third.
“That last stretch I was basically just sprinting for my life,” said Schoeman, who was on such a high after the race he felt he “could go another one”.
Fortune was with him yesterday, he admitted. The breakaway “gave us the chance to get away from the faster runners behind, like Richard, Mario Mola”. “It just worked out all in my favour.”
Yet Schoeman received the all-clear to race only the day before.
“A week ago I fell ill and I’ve had fever the whole week.
“Two days ago I was struggling with some high fever … I was so emotional two days ago that I was in tears. I didn’t do any training, I was just laying in bed trying to recover,” said Schoeman, the younger brother of swimmer Riaan, a two-Olympian at the past two Games.
Schoeman is a former swimmer who, after he stopped growing at 1.70m, was forced to switch codes to realise his dream of making the Olympics.
“It’s hard mentally because you prepare 15 years of your life for this and you do all the best preparation that you can and all of a sudden two days before the biggest race of your life you think you’re not going to race.”
Few people had given Schoeman much of a chance, but he himself had insisted he was a medal hope before the showpiece – and proved himself right.
Murray, who shattered his collarbone in a race in April, was a minute behind after the swim, and nearly 90 seconds behind after the cycle leg.
He started in the second chase group and worked his way to the front of the first group by the end of the cycle.
Murray surged strongly in the run, narrowing the gap, overhauling a bunch of competitors to move into fourth spot by just seven seconds at the finish.
He was the fastest runner on the day, clocking 30min 34sec, but his 18:20 swim was only 47th.
Murray had been unable to practise his swimming for six weeks after his accident.
Murray, a colourful character who was disqualified for ranting at officials in his last triathlon in Germany last month, praised the organisation of this event.
The last time South Africans finished third and fourth at an Olympics was 16 years ago, Penny Heyns and Sarah Poewe in the women’s 100m breaststroke.
At Athens 2004 Roland Schoeman took silver and Ryk Neethling fourth in the 100m freestyle.
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