Nicholas Novak
| Personal information | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Czech, American | ||||||||
| Born | March 15, 1996 Richmond, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||
| Country |  Czech Republic  United States | ||||||||
| Sport | Freestyle skiing | ||||||||
Event | Aerials | ||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||
Nicholas Novak (born March 15, 1996) is a Czech-American freestyle skier. He was born in Richmond, Virginia and won a bronze medal for the US at the 2018 National Championships and achieved several top-10 finishes at World Cups, as well as several podium finishes at the Nor-Am Cup. He switched to representing the Czech Republic, the birth country of his parents, in 2021. He competed at the 2026 Winter Olympics as the Czech team's sole male freestyle skier.
Early life
[edit]Novak was born in Richmond, Virginia to Jaroslav and Jaroslava Novak, who were both former national trampolinists for Czechoslovakia during the 1980s but were prevented from competing in the Olympic Games due to the country being under Communist rule. After having Nick's older brother, Lukas, his fled Czechoslovakia in 1985 by joining a traveling circus and fleeing to Switzerland after a finishing show in Portugal. The Novaks subsequently moved to West Germany before applying for asylum in the United States, where they worked in gymnastics and the family moved between the US and Australia for several years, with Jaroslava later giving birth to another boy, Thomas. A few years after Jaroslav secured a job in Virginia, Nick was born. All three Novak brothers were high-level gymnasts, but Lukas and Thomas eventually switched to different athletic careers, while Nick was accepted to an Elite Aerial Development Program in New York City which in high school, which allowed him to combine his gymnastic background with skiing, leading to the beginning of his aerial career.[1]
Career
[edit]Novak was recruited to the United States Ski Team. In January 2019, he was named to the United States Ski Team for the Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships alongside Jonathon Lillis, Christopher Lillis, Alex Bowen, and Eric Loughran.[2] He finished in last place, with a total of 43.33 points. During the 2019 Freestyle World Cup, Novak gradually improved throughout the season's four events, placing 22nd, in Moscow, 19th in Minsk, and 17th in China. During the final aerial event of the Cup on March 3, 2019, which also took place in China, Novak came sixth, the highest placement for an American male athlete in that event. Of his achievement, U.S. Ski & Snowboard Head Aerials Coach Todd Ossian stated, “Nick was one of the great stories about today, to come back from his crash yesterday and be our top man”.[3]
Novak began representing the Czech Republic as of the 2021–22 FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup. He was named to the Czech Republic Olympic Team as the only male freestyle skier on January 23, 2026. Posting on Instagram, Novak stated, "I have been named to my first Olympic team to represent Czech Republic in the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan, Italy. It’s been a wild ride and I’m so excited to be able to share this experience with my father and coach. From teaching me to ski, to sharing the Olympic stage, it’s been an honor to be on this journey together."[4] Novak competed in the men's aerials event on February 20, 2026, and scored a total of 76.11 during the qualification, placing 22nd in total.
Personal life
[edit]Novak is openly bisexual.[5] He has developed a large following on social media, with almost one million followers on TikTok, and 131,000 on Instagram.[6][7]
Career results
[edit]Olympic Games
[edit]| Year | Event | Location | Result | Position | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Men's aerials |  Livigno
|
76.11 | 22nd | [8] |
World Championships
[edit]| Year | Event | Location | Result | Position | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing United States
| |||||
| 2019 | Men's aerials |  Utah
|
43.33 | 25th | [9] |
| Representing Czech Republic
| |||||
| 2023 | Men's aerials |  Bakuriani
|
81.40 | 20th | [10] |
| 2025 | Men's aerials |  Corviglia
|
63.99 | 22nd | [11] |
World Cups (Men's aerials)
[edit]| Year | Location | Result | Position | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing United States
| |||||
| 2016 | Deer Valley
|
68.78 | 30th | ||
| 2017 | 79.78 | 23rd | |||
| 2018 | 76.55 | 32nd | |||
| Lake Placid
|
102.66 | 13th | |||
| 260.00 | 10th | ||||
| 2019 | N/a | DNF | |||
 Moscow
|
75.66 | 22nd | |||
 Minsk
|
120.00 | 19th | |||
 Shimao Lotus Mountain
|
73.30 | 17th | |||
| 400.00 | 6th | ||||
| 2020 | Deer Valley
|
53.10 | 12th | ||
| 2021 | 24.33 | 25th | |||
| Representing Czech Republic
| |||||
| 2021 |  Ruka
|
67.63 | 35th | ||
| 104.49 | 14th | ||||
| 84.64 | 30th | ||||
| 108.85 | 23rd | ||||
| 2022 |  Le Relais
|
130.00 | 18th | ||
| Deer Valley
|
102.66 | 22nd | |||
| 2023 | Le Relais
|
84.64 | 16th | ||
| 87.49 | 9th | ||||
| Deer Valley
|
75.33 | 29th | |||
| Bakuriani
|
81.40 | 20th | |||
| Ruka
|
96.46 | 15th | |||
| 2024 | Deer Valley
|
320.00 | 8th | ||
| Lac-Beauport
|
59.13 | 28th | |||
| 73.45 | 26th | ||||
| 2025 | Lake Placid
|
81.40 | 24th | ||
| Lac-Beauport
|
78.31 | 27th | |||
| 88.05 | 21st | ||||
| Deer Valley
|
89.50 | 12th | |||
| Beidahu
|
92.48 | 18th | |||
 Almaty
|
99.22 | 8th | |||
| Livigno
|
68.14 | 19th | |||
| Ruka
|
82.21 | 22nd | |||
| Secret Garden
|
70.80 | 32nd | |||
| 2026 | Lac-Beauport
|
81.42 | 25th | ||
| 73.45 | 32nd | ||||
| Lake Placid
|
52.24 | 37th | |||
| 80.59 | 26th | ||||
European Cups
[edit]| Year | Location | Result | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Airolo
|
70.40 | 12th |
| 160.10 | 9th | ||
| Chiesa in Valmalenco
|
168.48 | 7th | |
| 166.37 | 10th |
Nor-Am Cups
[edit]US National Championships (Men's aerials)
[edit]| Year | Location | Result | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Stratton, Vermont
|
46.80 | 18th |
| 2013 | Heavenly, California
|
57.60 | 15th |
| 2014 | Deer Valley, Utah
|
90.00 | 5th |
| 2015 | Steamboat Springs, Colorado
|
144.00 | 6th |
| 2016 | 116.00 | 6th | |
| 2017 | Lake Placid, New York
|
64.80 | 14th |
| 2018 | Park City, Utah
|
174.00 | 3rd |
| 2019 | Lake Placid, New York
|
144.00 | 6th |
| 2021 | Park City, Utah
|
N/a | DNS |
References
[edit]- ^ "The Aerial Skier of Circus Descent". U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. September 15, 2019.
- ^ "U.S. Snowboard, Freeski, Freestyle Teams for 2019 World Championships". U.S. Ski & Snowboard. January 29, 2019.
- ^ "Caldwell Second, U.S. Fourth in China". U.S. Ski & Snowboard. March 3, 2019.
- ^ "Nick Novak on Instagram". Instagram. January 23, 2026.
- ^ https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/bisexual-olympic-skier-nick-novak-223834078.html
- ^ Ziegler, Cyd (February 6, 2026). "Out TikTok star Nick Novak is competing at the Milan Winter Olympics". Outsports.
- ^ "Nick Novak". American Institute of Bisexuality. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
- ^ "Freestyle Skiing – Men's Aerials – Qualifications – Results" (PDF). fis-ski.com. February 20, 2026. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ Qualification results
- ^ "Men's Aerials – Results – Qualification" (PDF). FIS. February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ "Men's Aerials – Results – Qualification" (PDF). FIS. March 29, 2025. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Living people
- 1996 births
- 21st-century American sportsmen
- 21st-century Czech sportsmen
- American bisexual sportspeople
- American male freestyle skiers
- American TikTokers
- Bisexual sportsmen
- Czech male freestyle skiers
- Sportspeople from Richmond, Virginia
- Freestyle skiers at the 2026 Winter Olympics
- LGBTQ skiers
- LGBTQ TikTokers
- American people of Czech descent
- Olympic freestyle skiers for the Czech Republic