American taekwondo standout CJ Nickolas has a chance to accomplish something special as he has recently qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris. Nickolas is currently ranked the highest American athlete in the sport and second overall in the world for the 176-pound weight class. Additionally, Nickolas is the only American ranked in the top 20 in taekwondo.
The success of the Oakland native does not come by accident. Nickolas began participating and training at the age of three. He found inspiration for the sport through the two TV series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers, he told News WKRG 5.
“I was a fan of, what’s it called, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers and those kinds of shows and so I told her I wanted to do karate and she said, ‘ok, I’ll find something for you to do along those lines,’” Nickolas said.
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Throughout his career, Nickolas had numerous accomplishments. When Nickolas turned six, he began to compete against other fighters. He moved up to the senior level after winning a silver medal at the 2018 World Junior Championships. In 2019, he competed in the men’s featherweight event at the World Taekwondo Championships and narrowly missed a medal at the Pan American Games. His persistence paid off in 2021 when he won gold at both the Pan American Taekwondo Championships and the Junior Pan American Games. In 2022, he continued his winning streak by securing gold at the Pan American Taekwondo Championships. In 2023, Nickolas earned a silver medal at the World Taekwondo Championships, showcasing his dedication and skill.
Nickolas always aspired to make it to the Olympics and qualifying was a surreal moment for him he told WGN9.
“Whenever someone asked me what I wanted to do in this sport, I always said I want to go to the Olympics, that’s what you always say. And in the moment when I realized I had actually done it, it was, I felt that wave of the moment and ‘I’m actually here now,’” Nickolas said.
Nickolas competing in the Olympics is not only an accomplishment for himself, but for Black athletes in taekwondo. Nickolas shows that Black athletes can excel in this sport, even though it is rare to see many of them in taekwondo. His achievements inspire others in the Black community to try taekwondo and to believe they can succeed in representing Black culture in a new way in all kinds of sports.
Nickolas will begin to compete in Paris in early August.
