Chris Nikic (born 1999) is an American amateur

triathlete A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the d ...

. In 2020, at age 21, he became the first person with

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

to finish an

Ironman triathlon An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), consisting of a swim, a bicycle ride and a marathon run completed in that order, a total of . It is widely consider ...

. For this accomplishment, Nikic was awarded the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance as part of the

2021 ESPY Awards The 2021 ESPY Awards were the 29th annual ceremony of the ESPY Award, held on July 10, 2021 at The Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York City and broadcast on ABC. Actor Anthony Mackie served as the host. The awards aired on ESPN and ESPN2 on July 11, ...

. Additionally, he won the ESPY for Best Athlete with a Disability in Men's Sports.

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.

''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.

2020 Ironman Florida

Nikic completed the Ironman Florida triathlon in 16 hours 46 minutes 9 seconds, swimming , cycling , and then running a marathon . This earned him recognition from

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

. 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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nikic, Chris American male triathletes Living people 1999 births Sportspeople from Florida Sportspeople with Down syndrome