Autistic triathlete Sam to compete at his first World Championships
Sam Holness, a 27-year-old triathlete from London joined the HOKA team as a Global Athlete Ambassador back in December of 2020. He is now heading to Utah in September following an invitation to race at the 70.3 World Championships.
Sam, who has Autism, has been identified by the Shaw Trust as one of the UK’s top 100 people with a disability, not only because of his success as an endurance athlete, but his mission is to motivate other people that are neurodiverse, showing that anyone can participate in sport and become a successful endurance athlete, no matter what their background.
Sam says: “I am probably the most excited triathlete ever, after I received the email from HOKA ONE ONE about being invited to race at the 70.3 World Championships in St George Utah in September, it’s all I think about. When I started triathlons 5 years ago, I had no idea that someone with Autism and from an ethic minority background could go to the World Championships.”
“Super Sam”, as he has been nicknamed wants to share his message with the world:
“Don’t let your disability stop you from participating in sport”.
Sam’s motivation is incredibly inspirational, with him training 20-24 hours per week. He is incredibly focused and does not get distracted easily, finding that his training and his sport seriously improves his confidence and self-esteem.
“I am training hard and can’t wait to race. I am going to do my best because I want the world to know that people with Autism can be great athletes. I also want my participation to help to raise the awareness about Autism and to motivate others, like me, to start doing sport.”
Sam strives to become the first triathlete with autism from the BAME community to complete the Kona 140.6 Triathlon World Championships.
“It’s a big step on my journey to becoming a professional triathlete and would like to thank HOKA ONE ONE for making this possible. “Its #Timetofly and “Challenge the Status Quo.”
HOKA ONE ONE is behind Sam all the way and extremely proud of him as he takes on this next challenge.
