CJ Nickolas of the United States sings the national anthem after receiving a gold in men’s taekwondo at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, Oct. 22, 2023. At 22, Nickolas is the highest-ranked U.S. athlete in taekwondo, No. 2 in the world in the men’s 80-kilogram (176-pound) class. A silver medalist at last year’s world championships, he will lead the four-member U.S. taekwondo team in Paris.
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CJ Nickolas overcame many obstacles to reach the Olympics. Now, he’s aiming for taekwondo gold
A malformed vertebra couldn’t stop him. Neither could heart surgery, or a change of weight category that everyone thought was a big mistake. Breaking his arm in the buildup to the Paris Games was just a minor distraction, too. It seems there’s almost nothing that could derail CJ Nickolas’ quest for an Olympic medal.
