Chris Nikic is a lot more than just an Ironman

Chris Nikic made history when he became the first person with Down syndrome to complete the Ironman triathlon. He is working as hard as he can to do it again.

Chris Nikic had to finish his Chipotle before we could start our interview.

“I got a bowl. Double rice. Chicken. Beans. Queso. Veggies. Salsa, hot. Sour cream. Cheese. Corn and guac,” Nikic enthusiastically and thoroughly explained.

Nikic had earned his high-calorie lunch. He was in the middle of yet another training day for his second Ironman and had just run ten miles in the Florida heat.  There was still a two-hour bike ride on the docket for later in the afternoon.

“I am going up against the pain,” Nikic said. “I just keep going. “Whenever it is this hard, you’re almost there.”

Keep going indeed. Nikic was in tremendous pain during his first Ironman. He had fallen off his bike, stepped on a pile of fire ants and was cramping all over. Nikic used everything he had — family — to cross the finish line.

“Whenever it is hard, my determination comes from love,” Nikic said. “When I did the marathon, I was in so much pain I needed to refuel by hugging my Dad.”

Chris Nikic is accomplishing incredible goals for himself, and to inspire others

Chris’s dad Nik continues to push his son to limits no one thought were possible. The push is for Chris but also for others, and other families who are living with a son or daughter who has a disability.

“What Chris did was help us to have some peace in our life,” Nik Nikic said. “To realize that with a little bit more effort, and maybe treating him a little differently and including him more, and pushing him a little bit harder, we can give opportunities that we never thought were possible.”

What is possible continues to evolve. Nikic was recognized with two ESPY awards this year on the day Eunice Kennedy Shriver would have turned 100 years old: The Jimmy V Award for Perseverance and the Best Athlete with a Disability (Men’s Sports).

“He has earned everything he has gotten because he has done things I never thought he could do, I know that I couldn’t do,” Nik said. “I shake my head at the award with the disability. That is the way I used to think about Chris. I don’t think of him that way anymore.”

Oct. 9, 2021, and Ironman Kona is coming quick. If all goes as planned Nikic will become the first person with Down syndrome to complete two Ironmans. From there the USA Games await in Orlando. The bar keeps moving up.

“I have a vision for what he can do, but he far surpasses my vision and he has shown me and everyone around him so much more than we thought was possible,” Nik said. “We as parents of a special needs child appreciate what Chris is doing because we put ourselves in the shoes of other families and parents like us.”

Outside of the competition and beating the odds, Chris aspires to live independently and to have his own family one day.

“The impact that he is making on others around him, that is what I am most proud of,” Nik said. “The example he is setting and his genuine joy for other people. He has the tenacity to work his tail off to accomplish the impossible but then he focuses on other people to do the same.”

Now that is a truly special person.

Why We Play features stories about the power of sports to bring us together, overcome obstacles, make positive change and reach everyone. Read more here.