Prince William Co. high school welcomes home Paralympics gold medalist

Nichols was the youngest player on the 2022 Paralympics sled hockey roster.

Born with arthrogryposis, a condition that affects a person’s joints, he ambled past classrooms, reuniting with friends.

“I’ve been gone for about two months. And the couple days I came back, I quarantined myself, to keep everyone safe,” he said, during an interview at a cafeteria table.

Nichols reflected on what he has missed from the life of a typical high school student in the eight years he has spent pursuing an Olympic dream.

“It’s been a little bit of a sacrifice, but I feel like this is what I really wanted to do. Sacrifices have to be made to achieve your dreams,” he said.

Nichols said his teachers “have been really great,” while he’s been striving for a gold medal. “I was given a couple assignments while I was gone — nothing too hard.”

He’s said he’s been thankful most classmates have “been treating me pretty normally, which I appreciate.”

His close friends “still talk to me like I’m their friend, the whole time,” and say he looks at this as “another experience to have in my high school career.”

He expects he will soon resume training, to try out for next year’s U.S. team.

For now, he’s fighting jet lag.

“I’ve been staying up late, which I don’t really want to. I feel like after a couple weeks I’ll get back into the rhythm of everything — homework, getting to school, stuff like that.”