Niket Dalal from Aurangabad , Maharashtra, created history on February 7, 2020 by becoming the first completely visually-challenged athlete to finish an Ironman triathlon race in Dubai.
- 38-year-old Mr. Dalal is associated with Adventures Beyond Barriers Foundation (ABBF), and he completed the gruelling Ironman 70.3 — consisting of a 1.9 km swim, a 90 km bicycle ride and a 21.1 km run — with assistance from his sighted companion, Arham Shaikh.
- Mr. Shaikh is the youngest Indian to finish the 5000 km coast-to-coast cross-country race in the U.S.
- He is first first Indian to achieve Ironman finish after 2005.
- Mr. Dalal and Mr. Shaikh completed the race in 7 hours and 44 minutes, with 46 mins to spare.
- They stood 2nd in their category of physically disabled athletes, and were the first Indian team to finish a Ironman 70.3 triathlon.
