Chris Nikic
Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | American |
Born | 1999 |
Sport | |
Sport | Triathlon |
Chris Nikic (born 1999) is an American amateur triathlete. In 2020, at age 21, he became the first person with Down syndrome to finish an Ironman triathlon.[1][2] For this accomplishment, Nikic was awarded the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance as part of the 2021 ESPY Awards. Additionally, he won the ESPY for Best Athlete with a Disability in Men's Sports.[3]
Ironman Triathlon[]
Training[]
Nikic trained with Dan Grieb, who has completed 16 Ironman races, for four to eight hours each day for around one year. He began exercising in 2017 with a single pushup and aimed to improve his performance 1% each day.[2][4][5]
''I have to work hard and give my best every day. If I do an Ironman and become a pro-speaker I will have a chance to get my dream.'' Chris Nikic
Nikic is also training for the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games.[6][7]
2020 Ironman Florida[]
Nikic completed the Ironman Florida triathlon in 16 hours 46 minutes 9 seconds, swimming 2.4-mile (3.86 km), cycling 112-mile (180.25 km), and then running a marathon 26.22-mile (42.20 km). This earned him recognition from Guinness World Records.[1][8][9][10] His time was 14 minutes faster than the cut-off time for qualification.
"We don't make any accommodations for anyone around the core elements of racing." --Andrew Messick, CEO of Ironman Group.
Early life[]
Nikic grew up in Florida. He had open-heart surgery at five months old, and was not able to walk well until four years old or eat solid food until age five.[9][5]
References[]
- ^ a b "Nikic becomes first person with Down's syndrome to finish Ironman". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
- ^ a b West, Jenna. "Chris Nikic Is First Person With Down Syndrome to Complete Ironman". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
- ^ "2021 ESPY Award Winners". ESPN.com. July 10, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
- ^ KABC (November 9, 2020). "Florida man is 1st person with Down syndrome to finish Ironman triathlon". ABC7 San Francisco. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ a b "Chris Nikic is About to Make Ironman History". SI.com. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
- ^ Lane, Barnaby. "A 21-year-old man made history as the first ever athlete with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon". Insider. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
- ^ Kelsie Smith. "A 21-year-old man has made history as the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon". CNN. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ "Chris Nikic finishes ironman". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
- ^ a b McCoy, Jenny (2020-10-08). "Chris Nikic Has Become the First Ironman Finisher With Down Syndrome". Runner's World. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
- ^ "Florida athlete strives to be the first person with down syndrome to complete an ironman". WFTS. 2020-10-29. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
- American male triathletes
- Living people
- 1999 births
- Sportspeople from Florida
- Sportspeople with Down syndrome