Athlete becomes first man with Down’s syndrome to finish Ironman triathlon
Doctors told him he’d never be able to compete in such an event
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Chris Nikic, a 21-year-old from Florida, is the first athlete with Down’s syndrome to finish an Ironman Triathlon, after completing the Ironman Florida on Saturday.
He celebrated the historic achievement, which meant swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles, and running a full marathon, telling fans “anything is possible”.
Sport organisations and famous athletes like Billie Jean King quickly reached out to congratulate him.
Doctors told Mr Nikic, a Maitland, Florida native, and his family that such achievements would not be possible for someone with Down’s syndrome. He had his first surgery, to repair holes in his heart, before he was one year old, and used a walker until age three.
“The doctors and experts said I couldn’t do anything,” he told the Orlando Sentinel. “So I said, ‘Doctor! Experts! You need to stop doing this to me. You’re wrong!’”
He also had multiple surgeries to reconstruct his ear canals, which are prone to infection for people with Down’s syndrome, which cost him years worth of triathlon training.
The barriers didn’t stop there. Coronavirus meant cancelling a half-Iron Man event he planned to compete in, so he rigged his own model course instead.
He completed the multi-stage race in 16 hours, 46 minutes and nine seconds.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments