Henri Schoeman, who won a viral 2016 Triathlon World Series Grand Final in which Jonny Brownlee was helped over the line by his brother Alistair, says he has endured a decade of abuse since the race.
The South African, then 25, was vying for the lead with Jonny Brownlee on the final run leg and overtook the dehydrated and exhausted Briton with 700m to go in Cozumel, Mexico. With the help of third-placed Alistair, Brownlee finished second, short of the victory that would have secured him the world title in the overall standings.
"It was one of the biggest wins in my career, but for the last 10 years it has been overshadowed by something I have never publicly spoken about," Schoeman wrote on Instagram. "Every time this video goes viral I receive messages and comments blaming me for what happened, attacking me and sometimes even attacking my family."
Schoeman said he came into the race determined to prove a point after some questioned whether his Olympic bronze in 2016, behind the Brownlees, was a one-off. He pointed to long-distance racing, where athletes often misjudge their pace or fuelling and hit the wall near the finish. He cited Norwegian Solveig Lovseth, whose Ironman world title defence this month ended when she collapsed in the final mile while leading. "Athletes lead for hours only to collapse in the final stages," Schoeman said. "That is the brutal reality of endurance sport."
Schoeman, who won Commonwealth Games gold in 2018, finished 20th at the 2024 Olympics and second in the African Championships this month. "I know what happened that day and what it took to win," he said. "I have absolutely no regrets on how I raced. After 10 years, I am finally ready to be proud of it again."
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing