All language subtitles for Autism.My.Sporting.Superpower.2023.1080p.WEBRip.x264-CBFM.en

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.

Every year, thousands
of athletes line up to face

triathlon's ultimate test,

a 2.4-mile swim, 112-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 was so excited to receive
a Guinness World Record.

When you compete,
you wear T-shirts that says,

"Autism is my superpower."

What do you mean by that?

Being autistic is my
superpower because it makes me

hyper-focused 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.

You know, when people say
that you can't do something...

Hello?

..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.

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 will 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.

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 to judo...

..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 in judo 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.

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. Mm.
It was the most amazing thing.

He could swim.
He started doing park runs

because we thought,
"Let him go and meet people

"in park runs," 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...

Mm-hm. ..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
have 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. Mm-hm.

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, he just did
it on his own.

So he was just with people,
but doing his own thing

with those people. But it just
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 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.

You had 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... Mm.

..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 OK at this."

Only 4% of people in the world
run sub three...

..and he's going to run 2.30.

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's just, you know,
and that's something that has,

yeah, he's just 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. Mm.

But if you can do something
that you love for life,

cos there are 82-year-olds
doing triathlons, yeah?

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 24/7.

And 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, I just 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 to just

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, they
get access to the best coaches,

um, nutritionists, 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?

Oh. Oh, my dad and I work
as a 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.

I was in...banking.

I worked for an investment
bank, I was in IT.

I gave up my job 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 CEO's.

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 into
a 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 sport

hasn't really had much impact.

So, for example, in England,
our participation strategy,

we've done a huge piece
of research to look at places

in England where there's
a high indexation

of ethnic minority, 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", we're engaging

with 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, 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 things 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.

You know, you just need to
look at our

Olympic and Paralympic
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 tri-suit
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
his job...

..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.

My journey 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 Ironman 140.6 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.

I feel very proud.

I want to encourage other
black athletes to take up

swim, bike, run...

..and dream of becoming
champions.