TROLL TRAUMA: SA Olympic triathlete Henri Schoeman opens up on cyberbullying dimming his light

South African triathlete Henri Schoeman says 10 years of online abuse from strangers saw him lose himself and his inner light. However, after posting a video speaking about his experiences, and the subsequent outpouring of support he has received, the 2016 Olympic Games bronze medallist says he is ready to reignite his spark. 

Schoeman won a viral September 2016 World Triathlon Series Grand Final in which Jonny Brownlee was helped over the line by his brother Alistair. The latter had succumbed to heat exhaustion while he was less than one kilometre away from crossing the finish line, while he was in the lead. 

Dazed and staggering, Jonny was on the brink of collapse when his sibling Alistair (who had been in second spot before the incident) rescued him, dragging him across the finish line in Cozumel, Mexico.

While this was happening, South Africa’s Schoeman seized the opportunity to take the lead and win the race. Moments later, the two British brothers followed the South African triathlete over the finish line, with Jonny taking the silver medal, while Alistair took third.     

“For the longest time I did not know what the right thing to do was. So, I just kept trying to protect myself from the public limelight. But it’s never helped, because every time the video of the finish at the race comes around again, new people come out to attack me in waves,” Schoeman told Daily Maverick.

“And with every wave, I’ve always thought maybe that’s the last of the hate and abuse. But it just never stopped,” the 35-year-old stated.

“Abusive comments can affect an athlete’s mindset. It took away my confidence and it belittled me for 10 years. But the amount of support I’ve received [since I spoke out publicly] has been overwhelming,” he said. 

“If I had spoken up sooner, I would have looked at myself and the whole situation differently.”

Family first approach

Schoeman said that while it was generally much easier for him to stomach the online abuse from faceless accounts, his young children and wife Franzel Schoeman being targets in recent years had made it more difficult. 

“As a professional athlete I accept being criticised for my performances, to have those opinions thrown at me. But it’s another thing when people personally pick you out and attack you. But for the longest time I could also deal with being attacked personally – until I had a family,” Schoeman said.  

“Now I’ve got a daughter who is four and a half and a son who is two, and a wife. They now attack and threaten them. My children have nothing to do with a race that happened 10 years ago. They didn’t choose to be part of that at all. So, that’s when it really became overwhelming. But for the longest time, I was scared to open up,” the triathlete said.

Schoeman, who won Commonwealth Games gold in 2018, told this publication that despite the barrage of hateful messages he regularly receives online, his relationship with the Brownlee brothers remains an extremely good one. Especially Jonny. 

“I have a very good relationship with the brothers. Jonny and his wife (who is good friends with my wife) just had a newborn child.  We’ve raced each other over the last 10 years and we’re both fierce competitors, but we get along very well off the course,” Schoeman stated.

“Even after the fateful race 10 years ago, he sent me a message on the back of the criticism I was receiving and told me that I had done the right thing. He said that is racing. So, there are no hard feelings from any of us who were involved, we still get along to this day,” he added. 

Beyond telling his side of the story after 10 years, what was Schoeman hoping to achieve by opening up on the incident via social media? He says he was tired of being bullied, but he also hopes that his speaking up can spark honest conversations about the hate that athletes face daily from faceless online trolls. 

Across sports, athletes are constantly attacked via various social media platforms. The prevalence of sports betting has further increased the likelihood of these personal attacks. However, some trolls simply do it for the “thrill of it”.

Future plans

According to Schoeman, these people are cowards.

“No one would say this stuff to your face. The tallest trees get the biggest wind. But it is part of sport and you are always going to get these people who feel that they need to attack you,” he said. “It’s so important to bring awareness to this situation, even if it’s just to make someone feel that they are not alone in this.

“Even if we can make someone think twice before they spend 10 seconds typing a hateful message whose impact can last almost forever, that is a win. It’s too easy for people to just type something and send it out there,” Schoeman said.

Despite being over 30 and having always battled with injuries, Schoeman says he feels extremely strong. He is vying for his fourth Olympic Games participation at the LA 2028 edition.  

To show that he is still a strong competitor, the first-ever South African to medal in the triathlon at the Games (with his bronze 10 years ago) recently secured silver at the African Championships. 

Nevertheless, there is still a long road for him to navigate to ensure he books his ticket to the US. He needs to participate in as many races as possible within the next two years to accumulate points that will boost his ranking and ensure qualification. 

“I’ve done it all in this sport. If I can get to LA28 and have my daughter watch me race, after seeing what I’ve been through to get there, that will be my biggest win,” he said. DM