A Florida man who made history by becoming the first person with Down syndrome to finish an Ironman triathlon is honoring the woman who helped him cross the finish line — his mother.
Chris Nikic, 21, showed his appreciation to his mom by gifting her the medal he earned after completing Ironman Florida on Saturday. He finished the grueling race in a time of 16:46:09, nearly 14 minutes ahead of its 17-hour time limit.
“Look at that,” Patty Nikic, 61, said in heartwarming video as her son took off his medal at the family’s home in Maitland and draped it around her neck.
“You’re putting it on me? Oh, I love you. So proud of you.”
The pair then engaged in a long embrace before Chris went to see a doctor for treatment of his “battle wounds” — including a nasty abrasion on his right leg — after completing the 2.4-mile swim, 26.2-mile run and a 112-mile bike ride in Panama City.
“Great to be home,” Chris said. “Now I need a wife as special and amazing as my mom.”
Chris’ father told The Post Thursday that his wife was unable to join their son at the race due to ongoing health issues.
“She could not make the trip to Panama City, so the first thing he did when he came home was to give her a long hug and give her his medal,” Nik Nikic, 59, wrote in an email.
He said his wife of 34 years had “dedicated her life” to Chris’ goals and incessantly encouraged him to be “the best” version of himself possible.
“In fact, Chris’s dream that got him through this monumental effort was wanting to marry a smoking hot blonde from Minnesota like his mom, so this is genuine,” Nik told The Post.
Chris is also “officially allowed” to celebrate his achievement with a few Corona beers, his father said.
The family also celebrated with a stop at P.F. Chang’s, Chris wrote on Instagram Tuesday.
The Florida inspiration has come a long way since his first surgery at 5 months old to fix holes in his heart. He also still needed a walker by the time he was 3, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
In a separate Instagram post Wednesday, Chris shared video of himself writing his lifelong dreams in December on a dry-erase board, including to buy his own car and house, as well as to marry a “smoking hot blonde” and to complete an Ironman.
“Do you think it was worth it?” he wrote. “If I can do this, imagine what you can do. In 2021 I plan on doing it again.”
