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Chris Nikic sets history as first with Down Syndrome to finish Ironman triathlon

Ryan Young
·Staff writer
Updated ·2-min read

When Chris Nikic crossed the finish line late on Saturday night in Panama City Beach, Florida, he made history.

The 21-year-old became the first person in history with Down Syndrome to finish a full-distance Ironman triathlon.

Nikic crossed the finish line at the Ironman Florida race in 16:46.09. The Ironman triathlon consists of three legs, a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run. The 140.6 mile race must be completed in 17 hours.

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Nikic fell off his bike twice during the race, and even had to deal with a minor ant attack during a nutrition stop, according to Special Olympics Florida, but still finished the race in time.

“We are incredibly proud of Chris and the work he has put in to achieve this monumental goal,” Special Olympics Florida president and CEO Sherry Wheelock said in a statement. “He’s become a hero to athletes, fans, and people across Florida and around the world. He’s an inspiration to all of us.”

Nikic, who has been training and competing in triathlons since he was 16, will now start working to qualify for the triathlon in the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games.

View this post on Instagram

IRONMAN. Goal set and achieved. Time to set a new and BIGGER Goal for 2021. Whatever it is the strategy is the same. 1% Better every day. YES, I did the work but I had angels helping me. God surrounded me with Angels. Best part of all. New family and friends. All about awareness and inclusion. Awareness for Down Syndrome and Special Olympics. Inclusion for all of us with all of you. I’m sorry for not responding personally to all your messages. It’s amazing but overwhelming because I got 33K new followers and messages since yesterday. I will try and catch up. If you want to support my mission for Down Syndrome and Special Olympics go to my website www.ChrisNikic.com because 100% of the donations go to my charities. I achieved my goal and now I want to help others like me. Thank you to @ironmantri and @im_foundation for making it possible. Thank you @specialolympics @specialolympicsfl for starting the triathlon program. Thank you @rodsracing for giving a home to babies like me. I will be thanking so many more people over the coming days. But I must start with the 3 Angels who trained with me and did the race with me. Dan, Jenn and Carlos. #inclusion

A post shared by Chris Nikic (@chrisnikic) on

“Goal set and achieved,” Nikic wrote on Instagram on Sunday, in part. “Time to set a new and bigger goal for 2021. Whatever it is, the strategy is the same. One percent better every day. Yes, I did the work but I had angels helping me. God surrounded me with angels. Best part of all. New family and friends. All about awareness and inclusion. Awareness for Down Syndrome and Special Olympics. Inclusion for all of us with all of you.”

Chris Nikic crosses the finish line of the IRONMAN Florida
Chris Nikic crosses the finish line of the IRONMAN Florida on November 07, 2020 in Panama City Beach, Florida. Chris Nikic became the first Ironman finisher with Down syndrome. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images for IRONMAN)

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