Chris Nikic, center, is helped into the water by his guide Dan Grieb, right, in the swimming portion of the Florida Ironman triathlon on Nov. 7, 2020, in Panama City Beach. Nikic became the first person with Down syndrome to finish a grueling Ironman triathlon.
Credit: © Bachman/Getty Images for IRONMAN

This past November, 21-year-old Chris Nikic made history, when he became the first person with Down syndrome to finish an Ironman triathlon. Down syndrome is a condition present at birth characterized in part by intellectual disabilities and other difficulties. In just under 17 hours, Nikic completed the grueling competition, which consists of a 2.4-mile (3.9-kilometer) open-water swim, 112-mile (180-kilometer) bike ride, and 26.2-mile (42-kilometer) run. Nikic is an inspiration to athletes everywhere and to anyone who faces special challenges.

The Ironman is far from the first challenge Nikic has overcome. When he was just 5 months old, he had open-heart surgery. Because of weakness and poor balance, he could not walk until he was 4. It took him months to learn how to run and even longer to learn how to tie his shoes. But, Nikic overcame his difficulties to excel at athletics. In his teens, he began competing in such sports as swimming and basketball in the Special Olympics.

In October 2019, Nikic decided he wanted to train for an Ironman triathlon. He joined a local endurance group and enlisted a coach named Dan Grieb. (Grieb would later participate in the Ironman alongside Nikic as a guide.) In preparation for the competition, Nikic and Grieb did 20-mile (32-kilometer) runs and 100-mile (161-kilometer) bike rides.

On the day of the race, Nikic and Grieb finished the swim in just under 2 hours. The bike ride proved challenging. After getting off his bike to get a drink of water, Nikic realized he was surrounded by fire ants. The ants bit Nikic, causing his legs to swell. A few minutes later, he crashed his bike. Nearly halfway through his run, Nikic complained of pain. But, hugs and supportive words from his family spurred him on. Nikic proclaimed, “My dreams are going to win.” Sixteen miles (26 kilometers) later, his dreams did win—Nikic crossed the finish line to complete the exhausting, day-long race.

July 20, 2018

Today, July 20, marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the first International Special Olympics Games in 1968. Special Olympics is a year-round international program of athletic training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics features sports events modeled on those of the Olympic Games. Some 5 million athletes from 172 countries take part in Special Olympics programs.

A Special Olympics athlete leaps during a track and field competition in May 2017. Credit: COD Newsroom (licensed under CC BY 2.0)

In Chicago, where the first Special Olympics was held, 50th anniversary events include the Special Olympics Unified Cup, a soccer tournament of 24 unified (rather than national) teams modeled on the recently finished FIFA World Cup; a 4-mile (6.4-kilometer) Law Enforcement Commemorative Torch Run; and the unveiling of a large Special Olympics monument at Soldier Field, which will host a Global Day of Inclusion for Special Olympics athletes and their friends and families on July 21. That night, music stars Chance the Rapper, Smokey Robinson, and Usher are headlining the Special Olympics 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert at the city’s Northerly Island.

Credit: © Special Olympics

In Washington, D.C., where Special Olympics is headquartered, the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution is currently hosting a “Special Olympics at 50″ exhibit through June 2019. The exhibit highlights the lives of certain athletes who have participated in the games, and recalls the climate of discrimination and stigma once faced by people with intellectual disabilities.

The “Special Olympics at 50″ exhibit at the National Museum of American History features this torch from the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles. Credit: National Museum of American History/Smithsonian Institution

Special Olympics was created in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, executive vice president of the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., Foundation; and Anne M. Burke, a physical education teacher who later became a justice on the Illinois Supreme Court. Special Olympics provides opportunities for training and competition in numerous sports. Participants compete in different divisions depending on their age and ability. The athletes train in programs offered through their schools or communities.

In the United States, Special Olympics games at local, area, and state levels are held every year. In other countries, national Special Olympics Games are held every year or every other year. The Special Olympics World Games consist of summer games and winter games, which occur by turns every two years. Austria hosted the last World Winter Games in 2017. The next World Summer Games will take place in the United Arab Emirates in 2019