cheering and applause being autistic is my superpower. it makes me hyper—focused and determined. and i never quit. we were always going to focus on the things that he could do... ..and try to make him excel in that. never missed a workout. i always do my best. all i want is for somebody. to see sam doing what he's doing and say, "if sam can do that, it's going | "to encourage me". don't let your disability stop you from doing sports. you need to feel good about yourself and if there's

something you can do, no—one can take that from you. sports can help you out and boost your confidence. hawai'i island is home to one of the world's great endurance races, the ironman world championship. cheering and applause every year, thousands of athletes line up to face triathlon�*s ultimate test — a 2.4—mile swim, ii2—mile bike and a 26.2—mile run — battling the elements, the clock and themselves. it's a race that's not for the faint—hearted. in 2022, sam holness started and completed his first kona ironman. he crossed the line in a little over 13 hours, almost five after winner thomas fruhwirth. while sam, perhaps, wasn't breaking race records, he was, in fact,

shattering barriers. in completing kona's notoriously difficult course, sam became the first openly neurodivergent athlete to do so — a feat recognised by guinness world records. wow. check it out. my guinness world record book. and wow, that's me, who ran the ironman world championships in kona, hawaii. i am so excited to receive my guinness world record. applause when you compete, you wear t—shirts that says, "autism is my superpower". what do you mean by that? all right. being autistic is my superpower because it makes me hyperfocused and determined. i never give up. because i, like, do repetitive tasks — for example, i can remember any disney movie, the details —

training for endurance sports is perfect for me. does training and competing give you focus? training and competing helps with my confidence and self—esteem. it has also helped with my communication skills. for example, i recently did a presentation at a local primary school with autism and being an athlete. i don't do these! you liar. laughs. you know, when people say that you can't do something... hello? laughs. ..that you should limit your expectations. mum, marilyn, and dad, tony, are the team behind sam. sam's parents found out he was neurodivergent before he turned four years old. tony and marilyn were told to limit their expectations for their son — something

their background and outlook on life immediately told them to reject. i think they were trying to come from a place of kindness in that it was like, "don't expect too much, "limit yourself and then, you won't be disappointed", or, you know, and, "prepare yourself for not very much". and it was like, "well, you don't know. "none of us know what's going to be." and if you give up and do nothing, then you're definitely going to get nothing. but if you try something, even if it doesn't work, at least you've tried. he learnt to swim really early. so, on a bad day, you could go swimming. and he could swim up and down and no—one could take that from him. and the fact that, yeah, he wasn't talking or the fact that he was finding certain social situations really difficult, he could jump in that water and swim lengths and be happy, happy. happy- and so, we didn't accept that, "limit him", and "don't have "expectations".

we've both got caribbean roots, so we draw on those roots and we define our parents — sam's grandparents — as the entrepreneurs, the original travellers. you know, they got on the boat from windrush days in the '50s and they came here and therefore, if you have that entrepreneurship perspective about you, going to somewhere you don't know, doing things that you don't want to know, then it became quite natural for us to say, "what can he do?" draw the best things out of sam to make him the best he can be. keep going. all dads have this thing that, you know, "your son must ride "a bicycle by this day. "he's going to play for tottenham or chelsea" and — his favourite team now — but you have these dreams that your son's going to be good at sport and he's going to do all these sorts of things. "he'll go to university." you just have these dreams. and i think we — some of those expectations were never taken

away from us, people told us we were limited and we realised that one of the things that sam needed to do to be healthy was to find avenues, and it doesn't matter if it was sport or if it was computer games — it didn't really matter, he just needed to find that thing. one of the things that goes hand in hand with autism is weak motor skills. things that other children were doing naturally, sam had to be taught. so, we did trampolining and then, i took him to archery. he did ice hockey. that's the sort of stuff we went through. and then, one of the things that happened to sam is his communication skills but, also, that goes hand in hand with autism is not wanting people to touch them, not liking new situations. so, we sent him tojudo, where it's full contact. he went there the first four weeks, just observed and watched.

and after that, he started going and doing some press—ups, doing this, working out and he kept doing that until he's got a brown belt injudo now. and if it wasn't for covid, he'd be a black belt right now. so, i don't actually mess with him a lot, you know? laughter sport has long played a large part in sam's life. eventually, sam and his family settled on endurance sports, which have allowed him to flourish. we always knew he liked mastery, just from the things he was doing, the way he played his computer games. he eventually rode the bicycle at 14. i'd been trying to teach him to ride since he was five and one morning at 14, he got the bicycle and rode up and down the road. it was the most amazing thing. he could swim. he started doing parkruns because we thought, "let him go and meet people in parkruns," but he always ran on his own. um, and that's another symptom with autism. then, because he could run

and bike, there was a london duathlon in richmond park, just around the corner, so we threw him into that because he knows the park, he can't get lost, the roads were closed. we walked the route, so he couldn't get lost, and we just tracked him, you know? i can't explain to you. you know, we were like the real, the original helicopter parents, and we're still a bit like that now. so, he did this first duathlon and he got a medal and if you could see his face when he got his first medal, it sparked something inside of him. babe ruth famously once said that it's hard to beat a person who never gives up. it's a quote that could've been written for sam. he refuses to quit, is driven to be the best athlete he can be, and his sporting achievements have imbued him with a sense of confidence. medals became very important.

these are things that you use to develop. and that's it. and from there, we just went on and on. he added swimming to the duathlon, it became a triathlon. did a sprint race. then in 2019, he did his first half ironman in cascais, portugal. triathlon allowed him to put three things that he was good at on his own together in one sport. we tried to put him into events so that he could develop his social skills and that he could expand his communication but, actually, hejust did it on his own. so, he wasjust with people but doing his own thing with those people. but itjust pulled together things that he could do and, therefore, excel in. and, you know, although he may not be the best swimmer, the best cyclist, the best runner, combined, he actually is a force to be reckoned with. he likes to medal.

he gets a medal and he knows he's done well and each medal, it's a milestone. it shows that you've achieved something and you work towards something and then, you achieve. so, that notion of, you know, that works really well for sam and he — each time he achieves something more, he grows in confidence, he grows in stature, he grows — and you see it in the way he carries himself. most recent example is the best example. he ran the london marathon. second marathon. sub three hours. hey, guys. it's a long, long walk all the way to the marathon. i'm excited. and we planned it. we really planned it really hard. so, i started that race. i got him to the start line and sent him off. and he called me the minute he crossed

the line, and he said, "i did it, dad. "i did it." and that was a seminal moment in terms of the way that he races and the way that he sees races and achieving, and i think it's given him that little edge of confidence that, "you know what? "i'm 0k at this." only 4% of people in the world run sub three and he's going to run 2.30. chuckles. he's going to run 2.30 because he has it in him. he actually believes — and it's true, he is an athlete. and if you say to him, "sam, what do you do?" he says, "i'm a triathlete". he sees himself that way. he watches sport all of the time and he looks

at other triathletes and he knows he's one of them. and that's a real positive place to be because many of us don't know who we are or what we are or what we want to be and he's found that. and that'sjust, you know — and that's something that has, yeah, he'sjust woken up and he knows that's what he is and it's a really nice feeling to see. we're proud of it. i think you're right. we all go through life, right? a lot of the times, we just fall into things. but if you can do something that you love for life, cos there are 82—year—olds doing triathlons, yeah? chuckles. it's a blessing. it is the most amazing thing. you know, it's not for the money or the mortgage — he's doing it because he loves it. it's in his heart. it's what he wants to do. and it's what he does 21w. and that — that is just absolutely amazing. while sam proudly boasts that

being autistic gives him a superpower, thinking differently means that competing isn't always straightforward. racing at major events has seen him have to overcome challenges that are both physical and mental. most people with autism have ibs and this can affect during races. i used to be worried about noises and crowds but i wanted to get over this. for example, ijust ran the london marathon in 2 hours, 57 minutes and 33 seconds and i wasn't distracted by the noise and the crowds. we have to go together because we bring different things to the party, we bring different things to sam's experience. tony's his coach. tony is making sure he's, you know — he's his manager, he's booking things, and arranging travel and sorting all of those things. and then, in the background,

there's a whole other set of things that need doing in relation tojust making sure that, you know, he's got his right, normal nutrition alongside his sporting nutrition. that he's got his right kit and all of these kind of bits because some of those things a typical athlete would just get on with those things themselves. we have to do a double check. we have to make sure. we're having to do the, kind of, logistics and the scouting it beforehand. with autism comes a set of gut issues and we have to make sure that he's going to go somewhere where he's going to be able to get the right kind of food, and all of these things need to be in place as well, so, we bring different things. i'm working with him more in terms of wellbeing and just making sure that he's relaxing and kind of breathing through and tony's working on the physical and the mobility and all of those sorts of issues, so between us, we, yeah, we all, we need to be there together to make sure that we enable him to be able to actively take part.

because if we destabilise him, you know, if he's only got his physical bits, um, then he might be more anxious. he may be more worrisome. he may not settle. he may, you know, his eating might go off and then, his digestion, and all that's going to impact on his race. it takes a village to make a champion. there's a lot to... when i look at other athletes, they get lottery money. physios. we don't have that. mm. this is... every penny we've earned, every penny we spend is helping to develop sam, um, to give him a better quality of life. the challenge for the holness family is that they are competing against elite athletes with the very best support networks providing them with everything they need to succeed.

for team holness, this makes the task of turning sam into a champion greater. but he wouldn't want it any other way. what's it like being trained by your dad? 0h. oh, my dad and i work asa team. we're like timon and pumbaa from the lion king or goofy and max from the disney goofy movie, and we're always bickering. iwas in...banking. i worked for an investment bank, i was in it. i gave up myjob three years ago to coach my son because... ..he actually needed it. um, once we made the decision on what he was going to do with his future. so we thought, "it's a bucket list. "let's go to this country, this country, do this." we thought, "no, let's make a champion." and that was a really scary thing to say. first, i didn't know what it was. and then, i've been on that journey of learning what it is to become a champion.

and it requires consistency and hard work, determination. it's all the things that in the corporate world, i learnt, are what make great ceos. and these are all the traits that are embedded in sam. it's there without even thinking about. he doesn't have to think about it. he gets up crack of dawn and he works out. you know, he'd go to swim 9 o'clock at night if i say, "we're going to work out", and he does all of those things. i think my dad is the best coach for me because he understands how to communicate with me. come on, next to me. he's also democratic and he doesn't shout that often. have you ever had any fallings out with your dad while he's coaching you? no. no, we never fall out. we are best buddies. if we bicker, we always make up, like danny glover and mel gibson from lethal weapon or the bad boys with will smith and martin lawrence. bringing up your children and seeing sam turn intoa man... ..that has goals and dreams

and i can work with him and see that, it is the best job in the world. as a sport, triathlon struggles for diversity. according to a 2021 british triathlon annual report, just 3.2% of british triathlon members are from an ethnically diverse background, compared to around 18% of the population from census data from the same year. it's a common occurrence for sam to be one of, if not the only, black participant at races around the world. you know, when we go to an event, we are, you know, like, we're probably one of the few black couples there, black families there, and sam sometimes will say, "oh, look, i'm the only black one" and he just notices.

but...that's what, that's the experience that... it's a...it's a...just a given. that is what the situation is. so, he'll say it, um, and we'll say, and sometimes it's, you know, you know that when other people are meeting us, sometimes you can see it almost on their face like, "ah, oh, we didn't expect you to be black. "we just kind of," you know. and i think it makes them stop and think as well. and what it does is allow the conversation, because... ..you're in a situation whereby if the majority of the triathlon, triathletes, and the organisation, and the set—up are predominantly, you know, indigenous white people there and then, we come in and they see us and then, there's a conversation. yeah, it will sometimes be about race, but that's ok because it's ok to talk about race. it's ok to say that, "actually, there aren't many people "like us here and..." you know? "do we want some more? "what might we do? "how can we do it?" you know, "what are you thinking about that?

"how can we maybe move that forward?" so, it starts the conversation and it opens the door. it puts a little, you know, push on the door. and maybe if that door opens, some people will come in. you need to see it to be it. what we're trying to do is work hard to introduce people - to the sport in communities where previously the sportl hasn't really had much impact. so, for example, in england, our participation strategy, i we've done a huge piece - of research to look at places in england where there's a high indexation of ethnic minority, l of deprivation, but where there is some level of swim, - bike and run facility- available and a local club, and we're really - focusing on those areas. but rather than going - into those areas and saying, "here's how you should engage with triathlon,"j

we're engaging with i the community leaders in those places. and in each case, - the situation is different. and we're asking them to tell us how can we support - you to engage in swim, bike, i run in ways that are meaningful to you and relevant to you? so, it's quite labour- intensive but it's critical, we think, and absolutely worthwhile to do thingsl in that way. we are still under indexing on some of those key- demographics. until we address that... ..we won't stop. we are seeing progress. we're seeing, um, progress at the very highest level. i you know, you just need to look at our olympic and paralympicl success in tokyo and, - all being well, the athletes that are battling for - qualification and selection for next year in paris. and if people can see that. you have non—white athletes wearing the gb trisuit| in paris next summer, then i think that reinforces the message, really, - that sam holness is sending out — that this is a sport _ for everybody. ready? i love smashing barriers... ..and sam's just doing hisjob... ..to be the best he can at what he does. if as a consequence of that, we smash barriers and break down glass ceilings... ..all the good. despite coming to endurance

racing relatively late in life, time is firmly on sam's side if he's to realise his goal of being a champion. typically, endurance athletes tend to reach their peak in their mid to late 30s. having raced at both the 70.3 and 140.6 ironman world championships in the past 12 months and having seen the best close—up, sam now knows what it takes. experiences like that will prove invaluable going forward. all i want is for somebody... ..to see sam doing what he's doing and get up and say, "god, if sam can do that, it's going to encourage me." yeah? that's all i'm asking for. you know, when i get a dm... ..in the morning and it's come from a dad who has... ..autistic children, or an autistic boy and he says, "can i talk to you?" and they're based in canada

or south africa, i say, "just call me". yeah? and i talk to them. and if they feel better for a day...or an hour or it gives them hope — and the word is always hope — "you're giving us hope that my child who's on the spectrum "or neurodiverse...can have a life" — and that's probably sam's biggest gift to a lot of people, that there is hope. myjourney is, you know, i came from jamaica with £20 in my pocket and, um... ..you know, today... ..we�*re good. i got a boy who's going to be a champion... ..a beautiful wife. i can't ask for much more. you competed at the kona ironman, which is one of the world's most famous races. how did you find that experience? being in kona was an enjoyable experience. the weather in kona was hot and humid, even hotter than jamaica. .. ..and i like the sunshine, beaches, volcanoes. racing in kona was special

because it's the ironman140.6 world championships that everybody wants to get to. i was very proud to participate. after the race, i became the first triathlete with autism to compete at the world championships. i got a guinness world record. what did you learn about yourself at that race? i learned that i could compete in the hardest ironman race. and, in fact, i can meet my dream of becoming a black triathlete with autism one day. i would like to become the first professional triathlete with autism and motivate others that are neurodiverse... ..and look like me

to take up the sport. ifeel very proud. i want to encourage other black athletes to take up swim, bike, run...

hello there. once again, the weather is going to make the headlines over the next few days. we have another named storm following on from storm babette. this time it's ciaran, expected to arrive wednesday night into thursday. yes, damaging gusts of winds, but more importantly, widespread heavy rain falling on already saturated ground. that could cause some issues. before that, though, we've got an amber weather warning that remains in force until 9am this morning. we're likely to see this relentless feed of wet weather, with that easterly wind. so a further 70—100 millimetres of rainfall where we've already seen some flooding. so there could be some further issues this morning. we'll also see some wet weather as well spilling across parts of north—west england, down through lincolnshire, east midlands, over into the london area. south of that, slightly brighter skies for a time, but by the end of the afternoon, more wet weather starting to push into the south—west where we had flooding at the weekend. scotland, drier with some sunshine coming through, a few isolated showers,

cooler here, 7—9 degrees. elsewhere, 12—15 celsius. so that wet weather will arrive during the early hours of wednesday morning and pushing its way steadily north. and as it bumps into that cold air on the leading edge, there will be some snow for a time. it will be a pretty wet affair on wednesday, and windy with it across scotland. elsewhere, it's a case of sunny spells and scattered showers. and temperatures, similar story, we're looking at around 7—15 degrees. let's take a look at storm ciaran, then. expected to intensify quite rapidly during the early hours of thursday morning. now, the position of this low still potentially subject to change, but basically circulating around that low, we've got that weather front once again, feed of relentless rain across eastern scotland, northern ireland and southern coastal counties as well. and in addition to that, it's the strength of the winds that's a cause for concern. widespread gusts 50—60 miles an hour inland, on exposed channel coasts,

80—90 mile an hour, maybe even stronger close to the channel isles. so we really do need to keep a close eye on the weather story wednesday into thursday. even once that storm has cleared through, it stays pretty unsettled with further outbreaks of rain into the weekend.

from washington,

this is bbc news. calls this is bbc news. for a ceasefire calls for israel calls for a ceasefire calls for israel to surrender to hamas. the prime minister says this is a time for war. a hostage reunited with her family. a time for war. a hostage reunited with herfamily. plus, children caught up in conflict. how the humanitarian situation in gaza is affecting the youngest and most vulnerable. witnesses have reported seeing tanks and bulldozers on the main highway connecting gaza city and the rest of the territory. amid international calls for a ceasefire, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said that would amount to a surrender to hamas.