Chris Nikic stretched his hands into the dark night sky of Panama City Beach and enjoyed the four magic words: “You are an Ironman.” At the finish line, after swimming 3.86 kilometers, cycling 180.2 kilometers and running 42.2 kilometers, he fell Hugging trainer and guide Dan Grieb. After almost 17 hours, the 21-year-old had fulfilled his dream in Florida and, according to the organizers, was the first athlete with Down syndrome to do an Ironman.
“For Chris, the race was more than just the finish line and the winners celebrations,” said father Nik Nikic. “It was an example to show other children and families who have to overcome similar obstacles that no dream is too big or no goal too high.” At the goal, he proudly and happily hugged his son for what felt like an eternity.
It took Chris Nikic 16:46:09 hours. He covered the nearly four kilometers on the Gulf of Mexico in just under 1:55 hours, for the bike course Chris Nikic took around 8:12 hours. But he did not ride with an aerodynamic time trial handlebar, and he did without clipless pedals, which facilitate power transmission. A fall including a slightly bleeding right knee, plus ant bites – he kept going.
He completed the marathon in 6:18:48 hours – repeatedly cheered on by enthusiastic people at the edge of the track. Sometimes they came from restaurants to support the young man in his shirt with the imprint “1% Better”, true to his training motto “Get one percent better every day”.
Over 11,000 comments, mostly full of admiration, when the finish was broadcast on Facebook, and the American Triathlon Association bowed on Instagram: “History made. Once again, triathlon reminds us that anything is possible. “World-class athlete Cameron Wurf (37 / Australia), fifth in Hawaii 2019 World Cup, wrote:” I have goosebumps, so incredibly inspiring. “
Chris Nikic was rewarded for his performance with an entry in the Guinness Book of Records. In addition, together with the Ironman Foundation, he collected the equivalent of almost 34,000 euros. It was not until he was four years old that Chris Nikic could walk without a walker, his muscle strength and muscle tension were not as pronounced as in people without Down syndrome. Four years ago he had to undergo four ear operations. If he can manage an Ironman, he can handle everything else in life, according to the credo of the 21-year-old from Maitland.
In the first half of the year, after canceling a race over half the Ironman distance, he had completed an improvised competition of 1.9 kilometers of swimming, 90 kilometers of cycling and 21.1 kilometers of running and then continued to prepare for his big day. “Giving up is not an option for Chris,” said his coach before the race and then said: “I’m no longer surprised at what Chris can do. He is a person with goals and dreams like everyone else. “
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