The 2023 season saw a blast from the past in the ranks of the African men. After a prolonged spell fighting injury problems, a former Olympic medallist came back and put together a collection of impressive displays. In doing so, he reasserted himself as the top performer on the continent and had the strongest claim to being the African Male Triathlete of the Year.
Henri Schoeman (RSA)
There was a fear that injuries had gotten the better of Schoeman. The highs of 2016, in which he medalled at the Olympic Games and claimed a maiden WTCS win, seemed to be receding into the background while new African stars emerged to take his place.
In 2023, though, Schoeman was back to something close to his best. Indeed, he ended the season as the top ranked man in Africa.
The key points in his favour were his WTCS performances. The high point of his year came with a 6th place at WTCS Sunderland, his best result at the level in over two years. That itself came after after a 10th place at WTCS Yokohama. The last time he made the top-10 at the WTCS level was also in Yokohama back in 2021.
Crucially, his efforts came in a year in which no other African man logged a top-15 finish in the WTCS. In addition, Schoeman ended the year with a 17th place at the WTCS Final in Pontevedra.
His performances were enough to earn him 19th place overall in the Series and made him a likely qualifier for the 2024 Olympic Games.
As the best African performer at the highest level of the sport, Schoeman thus made a compelling case.
Honourable mentions
Jamie Riddle won the African Championships over the Olympic distance this year and added a 7th place finish at the World U23 Championships. He also finished 7th at the Tangier World Cup at which he dropped one of the best swims of the season. A 20th place at WTCS Abu Dhabi was also a solid result to add to his ledger.
In what has been a challenging year at times, Riddle nonetheless produced multiple noteworthy performances. Overall, though, his displays at the top level of the sport (the WTCS) did not quite match those of Schoeman. Looking ahead to the next few years, the South African pair will likely fight for continental supremacy.
Jawad Abdelmoula won the African title over the Sprint distance and took a bronze medal behind Riddle at the Olympic distance equivalent. A 16th place at WTCS Montreal was also the best showing by any African man at the world level after Schoeman’s double top-10 in Yokohama and Sunderland.
Should Abdelmoula return to his WTCS medal-winning levels, he will no doubt be in a position to potentially supplant Schoeman.
Abdelmoula’s compatriot, Badr Siwane, also earns an honourable mention after winning two silver medals at the African Championships. Moreover, he became the Pan Arab champion in 2023 and has shown plenty of improvements.
While Schoeman may have taken the mantle of the top African man in 2023, based on those lurking behind him it will be fascinating to see if he can retain it in 2024.
