Nickolas, Teachout chasing bronze medals for US taekwondo team at Paris Olympics

PARIS (AP) — CJ Nickolas waited 20 years for this moment.

So on the eve of his taekwondo competition at the Paris Olympics, after slumbering for two weeks on a cardboard bed at the athletes’ village, the Californian made sure he would sleep like a baby.

He booked a room in a hotel near the Grand Palais, the lavish building where taekwondo events are held.

“I slept on these cardboard beds, and then last night I had one of the best sleeps of my life,” Nickolas said.

Nickolas has looked well-rested and now has a chance to become the first American man in the sport to win an Olympic medal in 12 years later Friday in a bronze medal match. The 23-year-old Nickolas hoped for a gold but lost in the semifinals of the 80-kilogram tournament.

His U.S teammate, Kristina Teachout, was beaten in the quarterfinals of the women’s 67-kilogram division. Teachout can still grab a bronze through a repechage tournament.

Nickolas began his tournament against a tough opponent, Farzad Mansouri, an athlete from Afghanistan who competes for the Refugee Olympic Team. Nickolas looked pumped as he entered the venue wearing a fashionable jacket with his name written on the back over his taekwondo outfit. He shouted and made a few dance moves, then threw himself into the fight.

Trailing at the start, he still won in two rounds and won over the crowd with his aggressive style.

“Twenty years that I’ve been looking for this moment and I’m going to take it for everything that it is and I’m going to enjoy every moment that I can and I’m going to fight until the end, until they say I’m out, until it’s over,” said Nickolas, who started taekwondo when he was 3.

Nickolas then faced Faysal Sawadogo of Burkina Faso for a spot in the semifinals. His powerful opponent had an early lead, but Nickolas rallied with two straight head kicks. He was again behind with 21 seconds left in the second round and needed a well-timed turning kick to avoid a decider. Under new rules, bouts in Paris are decided on a best-of-three format rather than cumulative points.

Nickolas again energized the crowd before his semifinal against Tunisian Firas Katoussi. In a cagey first round, the taller Katoussi did a very good job at thwarting Nickolas’ attacks and won it by a judge decision. Nickolas took all the risks in the second round, but Katoussi landed a body kick with only two seconds left that sealed his win.

Katoussi will take on Iranian fighter Mehran Barkhordari, who upset top favorite and world champion Simone Alessio of Italy in the quarterfinals.

Teachout started her day with a bang in the women’s 67-kilograms event by taking out world champion Magda Wiet-Henin of France in a dominant fashion. But the 18-year-old from Palm Bay, Florida, then lost a tight encounter with Hungarian Viviana Marton.

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games