Henri to settle for a medal

SPURRED ON by his Olympic bronze medal, Henri Schoeman hopes to finally earn a spot on the podium when he lines up at the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Cozumel, Mexico, tomorrow.

Schoeman has come close to winning a medal on the World Triathlon Series with two fourth-place finishes in the past but is yet to claim a podium finish.

Currently lying in 11th place on the ITU World Triathlon series rankings, Schoeman is looking to finish the season in the top-10 at the final race of the year.

“The Olympics has done a lot for my confidence. It is the biggest sporting stage in the world and to be an Olympic medallist is any athlete’s dream,” Schoeman said from Mexico.

“It was a major breakthrough and it has boosted my confidence. I am relaxed ahead of the final race in Mexico. I know I have the ability to be on the podium now. I’ve come shy a few times in the world series and there is no reason for me not to be on the podium at the World Championship final.”

Schoeman produced the race of his career at the Rio Olympic Games on the course around Forte Copacabana where he finished third behind British brothers Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee.

Traditionally his weaker discipline, Schoeman experienced one of his best runs moving from sixth position to third over the 10km run for his bronze medal.

“The plan was always to race the world champs and get a good ranking at the end of the year. So if I have a good enough race to have a solid top-10 ranking at the end of the year, then I will be happy,” Schoeman said.

“Maybe I can surprise myself and get onto the podium or close to it. I always go for my best result and hopefully it will be a solid top-10.”

Schoeman said he would be looking to perfect his running which would make him an all-round triathlon athlete and boost his chances of regular podium finishes.

Richard Murray, who finished fourth in Rio will be looking to make up for missing out on a podium spot at the Games, and has already showed signs he could be a contender in Mexico.

Murray finished third at the WTS Edmonton in Canada where he earned his first triathlon podium finish since breaking his collarbone in Australia in April.

Meanwhile Rio Olympians Mari Rabie and Gillian Sanders will be flying the flag in the women’s race where it is likely to be the former’s last race of her career.