Triathlete pioneer Sam Holness shares goal to inspire wave of athletes with autism

The world’s first Black autistic triathlete, ‘Super’ Sam Holness, spoke with FanSided after his historic outing at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship.

Steep hills, high wind, thunderstorms, sandstorms, and lightning confronted ‘Super’ Sam Holness in his latest triathlon; but for Sam, it was business as usual.

Before every race, one can bet that the world’s first Black autistic triathlete is listening to the same tune, which has become a pre-meet ritual for Sam. He gets pumped up by listening to that 1982 classic song from Survivor — the Rocky III theme song — where the chorus goes: “It’s the eye of the tiger/It’s the thrill of the fight/Rising up to the challenge of our rival/And the last known survivor/Stalks his prey in the night/And he’s watching us all with the eye of the tiger.”

It looked like the self-proclaimed “movie buff” possessed “The Eye of the Tiger” on Sept. 19 during the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Utah. Not only that, but the St Mary’s University graduate with a degree in Sports Science showcased that there’s literally nothing that can stop him as he swam (1.2 miles), cycled (56 miles) and ran (13.1 miles) for a combined 70.3 miles through unpredictable terrain.

As tears slid down the cheeks of Sam’s mother, Marilyn, “Super” Sam crossed the finish line. He lunged into his mother’s arms for a hug and afterward there was a man who placed a medal around his neck and hugged him. That man was Sam’s proud father and coach Tony Holness.

That’s “one of the most difficult courses in the world,” Tony told this author while he sat next to his son Sam, who sported his new medal during his digital video interview with FanSided. “[Sam] competed well against athletes in his age group. He’s a winner.”

Sam Holness has a unique triathlete coach

Sam, 28, is coached by his father Tony, a Triathlon Ironman certified coach. The two liken their relationship to Disney characters Max and Goofy. While the two have similar preferences when it comes to watching movies like the Rocky and Lethal Weapon series,  Sam says they “bicker” a lot.  But it’s all love.

“We are a team,” Sam said. “We talk about training and future races.”

Throughout the bickering, Tony compares it to buddy cops in movies saying, “we have each other’s backs,” and, “push each other to do more.”

Sam refers to his father as a “Minion” because he wears many hats to support his ambition. Any given day Tony performs duties as a taxi driver to help Sam get to point “A” to point “B,” as a bike mechanic to aid with Sam’s cycling and so many more duties for his son, who he calls “captain obvious” because Tony knows his son has the tendency to correct others when things aren’t exactly how it’s supposed to be.

“He’s my only son. I think family is critical to Sam’s success. Mom and Dad being here has helped,” Tony said. “Sam has a gift of training.”

Developing that gift is why Tony retired from the corporate world to be a full-time coach for his son. Sam’s gift is one that can keep on giving to inspire others. He’s on his mission to become a professional triathlete in a sport that has little diversity.

A troubling lack of diversity in triathlon

It wasn’t until Max Fennell received his pro card in 2014 that there was a Black professional triathlete in the world. In 2021, Sika Henry became the first female professional triathlete. Among all triathlete participants, people of color make up only two percent with Black athletes accounting for less than half a percent. In the midst of trying to achieve a triathlete pro card, Sam is competing at events where he’s usually the only one of his demographic.

Sam acknowledges that autism is an “invisible disability,” so others may not immediately pick up on that, however, it is noticeable at first glance that he’s often the only Black athlete in attendance at a triathlon.

“It doesn’t bother me. I’m focused on playing,” Sam said.

The coach side of Tony further explained Sam’s mindset at meets: “If you start thinking about the other athletes you get beat,” and added how Sam goes by the mantra, “I can only run my race.”

But make no mistake about it, they are hoping that Sam’s journey sparks diversity.

“That’s part of what we are doing,” Tony said. “There’s so many areas where diversity needs to be increased in sports.”

For Sam, the lack of diversity hasn’t deterred his athletic ambitions. He draws his inspiration from reading biographies of sports figures and watching his favorites compete in their respective sport. One of Sam’s favorite athletes is Formula 1 World driver Lewis Hamilton. Sam loves watching him race and draws a connection to the seven-time Formula 1 World Champion as he has a half-brother, Nicolas Hamilton, who is a professional race car driver even with his cerebral palsy disability.

Through Sam’s journey in sports, he hopes to continue to inspire folks with autism to get involved in athletics.

Why Sam Holness chose sports

The Londoner was diagnosed with autism when he was four years old. In the UK, the average life expectancy for someone with autism is 54, which is about 18 years shorter than the average citizen there, Tony explained. Practicing a healthy lifestyle for Sam to live a long life was the main motivation for getting involved in sports but he has reaped other benefits.

Getting involved in judo increased “my self-esteem and gave me a new purpose,” Sam said.

Things like catching a football, being in close proximity with others, or people touching him didn’t come as naturally to Sam as it would for others, due to his autism. Training in judo around the age of 15, helped Sam break down barriers within his disability.

One area of concern was the first five-to-six weeks Sam watched his judo sessions from afar and didn’t actively participate. But once Sam got involved, Tony realized that he spent those earlier sessions visually mastering the skills taught by his instructor so by the time he physically participated he knew exactly what to do. Ultimately, he earned a brown belt, and, as his father put it, Sam was committed as he was “the first one in and last one out the dojo.”

Throughout Sam’s life sports have been a vehicle to develop his motor skills. He has been swimming since he was three and has taken up other activities such as ice hockey and trampoline.

“I’m very focused and I never give up,” Sam said.

Sam goes beyond swimming, cycling and running when he trains for triathlons. He incorporates other disciplines, like rowing, to gets faster and build his endurance. He also incorporates yoga, which he does with his mother, to increase his flexibility and aid with his breathing.

Sam’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed by other parents, especially those that have sent DM’s (direct messages) to Sam’s social media accounts sharing how his journey inspired them to put their kids in sports.

From Sam’s personal experience he firsthand knows what sports could mean for others with autism as he quipped, “sports make me happier.”

Tony wants to see more inclusion in the future and for people to realize that a disability has no weight on athletic talent.

“There are many more diamonds in the rough like Sam,” Tony said, and added, that ever since he made the switch to work as a full-time coach he wished he did it sooner. “It’s given us hope for his future.”

As for Sam, the athlete who described himself as “determined, pedantic and committed,” the biggest life lesson he’s learned from sports occurred early on and he applies it today. When Sam tried ice skating as a youngster as soon as he touched the ice his legs shook “like Bambi,” Tony recalled. About six weeks later, Sam got the hang of it and ever since then skating was a lifelong skillset for him. Sam remembers there was only one way to get better and there was something he constantly did when he fell on the ice: “Get up again.”

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.