in 2022, sam holness started and completed his first kona ironman. e 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

british triathlete sam holness sealed his place in the world record books last year, after becoming the, who's autistic, has been speaking to the bbc as part of black history month. his family hope his achievements can help him to realise his dreams. sam's story is on the iplayer and here's a taste of what to expect. being autistic as my superpower because it makes me hyper focused and determined and i never give up. sport has improved my life a lot. it provides purpose. most people have ibs and this can with me during races. i sufferfrom gi issues. ibs and this can with me during races. isufferfrom gi issues. i used to be worried about noises of the crowds football. i was able to get over first. the crowds football. i was able to get overfirst. i ran the crowds football. i was able to get over first. i ran the the crowds football. i was able to get overfirst. i ran the marathon. i was not distracted by the noise in the crowd on my second marathon attempt. it was an enjoyable experience and i was proud to participate. after the race, became the first athlete with autism to compete at th