C.J. Nickolas, taekwondo star and Paris Olympics contender with a heart of gold and a deadly move

CJ Nickolas is the No. 2 taekwondo fighter in the world in his weight class and Team USA’s best shot at a medal in the men’s Olympic event.

C.J. Nickolas hardly looks like one of the most lethal fighters in the world. He’s wearing baggy jeans covered in large colorful patches with pink socks and carrying a yellow Pikachu backpack. His brilliant smile illuminates like the New York City skyline behind him.

And yet there he is, at 22, the U.S.’ best chance at a gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games in taekwondo, a Korean martial art in which fighters use mostly their feet and hands. 

He arrives in the evening, before sunset, at 30 Rockefeller Plaza after a full day of media obligations, but, lean and 6-foot-1, he is a tower of energy. He readily switches into his U.S. fight gear to display his signature — and devastating — soaring midair double kick, a maneuver that delivers a blow to his opponent while he is in flight and a second strike as his body is contorted and suspended in air, parallel to the ground.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/cj-nickolas-taekwondo-paris-olympics-heart-epic-kick-rcna147911

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