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.
The improved bedding did not have the desired effect.
The 23-year-old Nickolas looked well-rested and started his journey on a high-octane pace but lost in the semifinal.
Olympics
Olympian 'going for gold' in taekwondo at Paris Olympics
The U.S. team did not end the day empty-handed, though. Teammate Kristina Teachout, who was beaten in the quarterfinals of the women’s 67-kilogram division, recovered in style to win a bronze medal after going through a repechage phase.
“I’ll probably cry about it later, but I’m so grateful,” Teachout said. “This is the culmination of everything that’s important to me and all that I’ve put into my craft.”
The 18-year-old Teachout grabbed a U.S. flag and celebrated her medal by running around the octagonal-shaped combat area, warmly embracing her coach.
Teachout had defeated Anastasija Zolotic — the first U.S. woman to win a gold medal in the sport in Tokyo — at the U.S. Olympic trials.
Like Nickolas, Alessio failed to reach the final. He was given a second chance through repechage and set up a meeting with Nickolas that pitted the top two ranked athletes in the category against each other.
Nickolas, who lost to Alessio in the final at last year’s world championships, harassed his rival from the start with relentless attacking moves but could not find his target. Alessio was clinical. The Italian landed two kicks in each round and that was again to once again deny Nickolas.
WATCH: Former Palm Bay teen Kristina Teachout was trained by Grand Master Jung So Han from the age of six to 17
“He’s a monster in the division and other people have gotten him and I just haven’t clicked that code yet,” said Nickolas, who started taekwondo when he was 3. “I’ve failed. And that’s what happened and it hurts.”
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. 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. He was stopped in the semifinals by Firas Katoussi of Tunisia. 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 victory.
In the final, Katoussi will take on Iranian fighter Mehran Barkhordari, who upset Alessio in the quarterfinals.
Teachout started her day with a bang in the women’s 67-kilogram event by taking out world champion Magda Wiet-Henin of France. But the 18-year-old from Palm Bay, Florida, then lost a tight encounter with Viviana Marton of Hungary,
She then beat Ruth Gbagbi of Ivory Coast in repechage and fought Song Jie of China for bronze. Song was conservative but Teachout seized all of her few opportunities in the first round and continued to apply a relentless pressure to win in two rounds.
“I’ve always had the harder route in sports,” said Teachout, who was slowed by a hamstring injury in her first year. “And even getting (this bronze). It wasn’t the best, it was the hardest route to get a medal. Having to go through the motions of losing and, you know, get it back together and fight. So yeah, it’s been an emotional journey.”
