David Nicholas

For other people named David Nicholas, see David Nicholas (disambiguation).

David Nicholas, OAM (born 1 December 1991) is an Australian cyclist. He won silver and gold medals at the 2012 London Paralympics and a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.^[1][2]

David Nicholas

2016 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Nicholas
Personal information
Nationality	Australian
Born	(1991-12-01) 1 December 1991 (age 32) Perth, Australia
Sport
Country	Australia
Sport	Cycling
Disability class	C3
Medal record Men's para cycling Paralympic Games 2012 London Road time trial C3 2016 Rio 3km individual pursuit C3 2012 London Individual C1–3 road race 2020 Tokyo 3km individual pursuit C3 Road World Championships 2011 Roskilde Individual time trial C3 2011 Roskilde Road race C3 2013 Baie-Comeau Individual time trial C3 2019 Emmen Individual time trial C3 Track World Championships 2012 Carson 3km individual pursuit C3 2017 Los Angeles 3km Individual Pursuit C3 2018 Rio Individual pursuit C3 2019 Apeldoorn 3km individual pursuit C3 2019 Apeldoorn Scratch race C3 2020 Milton 3km individual pursuit C3 2012 Carson 1km time trial C3 2016 Montichiari 3km individual pursuit C3 2017 Los Angeles 1km Time Trial C3 2014 Aguascalientes 3km individual pursuit C3 2017 Los Angeles Scratch race C1-3 2022 Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Omnium C3 2022 Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Individual pursuit C3

Personal

David Aron Nicholas was born on 1 December 1991 in Rockhampton.^[3][4] He has cerebral palsy.^[5] Other sports he participates include karate.^[6] As of 2016^[update] he lived in the Queensland town of Proserpine.^[3][7] where he worked as IT Support Officer at Whitsunday Regional Council.^[3]

Nicholas now lives in Bathurst NSW, where he lives with his fiancé Emilie Miller, herself an accomplished international athlete.^[8]

Cycling

Nicholas at the 2012 London Paralympics

Nicholas is a C3 classified cyclist who competes in road and track events.^[3] At the 2011 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Roskilde, Denmark, he won the gold medal in the Men's Time Trial C3 and silver medal in the Men's Road Race C3.^[3] In 2012, he participated in the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Los Angeles, where he finished first in the C3 3 km individual pursuit.^[5][9] In the lead up to the 2012 London Paralympics, he participated in the Blenheim Palace festival of cycling time trial event.^[10][11][12] At the games, Nicholas won a gold medal in the Men's Individual C 3 Road Time Trial and a bronze medal in the Men's Individual C1–3 Road Race.^[13] He also participated in the Men's 1 km Time Trial C1–3, Men's Individual Pursuit C3 and Mixed Team Sprint C1–5 events.^[13]

Competing at the 2013 Para-cycling Road World Championships, Baie-Comeau, Canada, he won a gold medal in the Men's Individual Time Trial C3.^[14] At the 2014 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico, he won a bronze medal in the Men's 3 km Individual Pursuit C3.^[15]

At the 2015 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships Nottwil, Switzerland, he finished seventh in the Men's Time Trial C3 and Men's Road Race C3.^[16][17]

Nicholas won the gold medal in the Men's 3 km Individual Pursuit C3 at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. He set a Paralympic record of 3:32.336 in qualifying for the gold medal race.^[18] His other results were fourth in the Men's Road Time Trial C3 and fifth in the Men's Road Time Trial C3 and sixth in the Mixed Sprint.^[19]

At the 2017 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Los Angeles, United States, Nicholas won the gold medal in the Men's 3 km Individual Pursuit C3, a silver medal in Men's 1 km Time Trial C3 and a bronze medal in the Men's Scratch Race C1-3.^[20]

At the 2017 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, he finished ninth in the Men's Time Trial C3 and 13th in the Men's Road Race C1-3.^[21]

At the 2018 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Nicholas won the gold medal in the Men's 3 km Individual Pursuit C3.

At the 2018 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he won the gold medal in the Men's 3 km Pursuit C3^[22]

Nicholas won a third straight world crown in C3 individual pursuit category at the 2019 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands.^[23] He also won the gold medal in the Men's Scratch Race C3 and finished third in the Omnium Test Event C3.^[24]

At the 2019 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, Emmen, Netherlands, he won the gold medal in the Men's Time Trial C3 and tenth in the Men's Road Race C3.^[25]

At the 2020 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships, Milton, Ontario, he won the gold medal in the Men's Individual Pursuit C3 and finished sixth in the Men's Scratch Race C3.^[26]

Nicholas won his fourth Paralympic medal, in winning the bronze medal in the Men's 3km Pursuit C3 at the 2020 Summer Paralympics with a time of 3:25.877.^[27] He finished 18th in the Men's Road Race C1–3 and eighth in the Men's Road Time Trial C3.^[28]

At the 2022 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France, he won the bronze medal in Men's Omnium C4.^[29]

At the 2024 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he finished fourth in both the Men's Time Trial and Individual Pursuit C3 events.^[30]

Recognition

He was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the 2014 Australia Day Honours "for service to sport as a Gold Medallist at the London 2012 Paralympic Games."^[4] In November 2016, he was awarded the Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association Sporting Wheelie of The Year.^[31] He was awarded Cycling Australia's Male Elite Para-Cyclist for 2016 and 2017.^[32][33] In November 2017, he was awarded Queensland Sport Athlete with a Disability.^[34]

References

1. "Australian Paralympic Team announced". Australian Paralympic Committee News, 30 May 2016. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
2. "World And Paralympic Champions Feature Among Tokyo-Bound Para-Cyclists". Paralympics Australia. 9 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
3. "David Nicholas". Cycling.org.au. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
4. "Australia Day honours list 2014: in full". The Daily Telegraph. 26 January 2014. Archived from the original on 27 January 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
5. Charlie Payne (14 June 2012). "Nicholas rides his way to London". Mackay Daily Mercury. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
6. "David Nicholas". Australia: Australian Paralympic Committee. 2012. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
7. Kay, Ross (9 August 2012). "Who are our Queensland Paralympians?". ABC Wide Bay Qld - Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
8. Grant, Alexander (7 February 2021). "Double achieved: Miller, Nicholas each claim two Road Nats victories". Western Advocate. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
9. "Para-Cyclones Golden Finish to Worlds Campaign". International Business Times. 16 February 2012. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
10. Nigel Wynn (19 July 2012). "GB and Australian Paralympic squads warm up at Blenheim Palace". Cycling Weekly. Archived from the original on 25 August 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
11. "Preview: Bike Blenheim Palace". Britishcycling.org.uk. Archived from the original on 18 August 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
12. Harker, Jonathon. "Team GB and Australia's Paralympians heading to Bike Blenheim Palace". BikeBiz. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
13. "David Nicholas". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
14. "Para-cyling Road World Championships -Results". UCI Website. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
15. "Australia finishes Para Track Worlds as top nation". Cycling Australia News. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
16. "Cooke and Bridgwood claim gold at UCI Para-cycling World Championships". Cycling Australia News, 31 July 2015. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
17. "Alistair Donohue defends world title at Para-cycling Road Worlds". Cycling Australia News, 2 August. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
18. "Cycling results". Rio Paralympics Official website. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
19. "David Nicholas". Rio Paralympics Official site. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
20. "2017 Para-Cycling Track World Championships". Veloresults website. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
21. "2017 UCI Para-cycling World Championships wrap". Australian Paralympic Committee website. Archived from the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
22. "10 medals for Australia at Para Track Worlds". Cycling Australia website. Archived from the original on 3 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
23. "Nicholas takes third straight IP crown". Australian Cycling Team website. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
24. "2019 UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships - Day 4 Report". UCI Cycling website. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
25. "Team Australia finishes top para road-worlds". Cycling Australia. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
26. "Australia secure eight world titles at 2020 Para-cycling Track World Championships". Cycling Australia website. 3 February 2020. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
27. "Australian Paralympic Team for Tokyo 2021". The Roar. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
28. "Cycling Road - NICHOLAS David - Tokyo 2020 Paralympics". Tokyo2020.org. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
29. "Results - UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships". UCI. 21 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
30. "2024 UCI Paracycling Track World Championships". paraworlds2024.veloresults.com. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
31. "2016 Annual Awards winners". Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association website. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
32. Polkinghorne, David (17 November 2017). "Tour de France star Michael Matthews wins triple crown at Cycling Australia awards". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 21 November 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
33. "#OPPYMEDAL MATHEW HAYMAN CROWNED 2016 AUSTRALIAN CYCLIST OF THE YEAR". Cycling Australia website. 18 November 2016. Archived from the original on 19 November 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
34. "2017 Sport Awards". QSport website. Archived from the original on 25 February 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2017.

External links

• David Nicholas at the International Paralympic Committee
• David Nicholas at Paralympics Australia
• David Nicholas at Cycling Australia (archived)
• David Nicholas on Twitter