The Queensland native turned Bathurst resident has been named in Australia's 12-member para-cycling team which will be chasing glory in Tokyo come August. It will mark his third Games appearance.

"I was over the moon," Nicholas said after learning of his selection.

"We have a very strong team, so to be a part of it is great. I am very proud to represent my country for my third Paralympics. It's a great honour and privilege to wear green and gold."

While Nicholas was born with cerebral palsy, that did not stop him from becoming a successful sportsman. He began as a middle and long distance runner before turning to para-cycling as a way to recover from a dislocated knee.

Since that time he first clipped on a helmet he has not looked back. He is now an eight-times world champion, has won 26 national championships and amongst his vast collection of medals are two Paralympic golds.

The C3 classification rider made his Games debut in London in 2012, winning gold in the road time trial and bronze in the road race.

Four years later in Rio, Nicholas won gold in the three kilometre individual pursuit.

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Since relocating to Bathurst to live with fiancée and fellow para-cycling star Emilie Miller, success has continued to come for Nicholas. His efforts included being crowned the individual pursuit world champion for the fourth consecutive occasion last year.

Nicholas admits there was a time he doubted the Tokyo Games, which were pushed back a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, would go ahead.

But like the champion he is, Nicholas adjusted, adapted and continued to work towards his Paralympic goal.

"I had my doubts in the back of my head, but I just focussed on what I could control and trained as if it was going ahead," he said.

"It was very hard for everyone. I decided to use it to take a break and reset. It meant I could mix things up with training to get into it and just tried to enjoy riding my bike without pressure."

Nicholas will be contesting three events in his C3 classification at Tokyo - the road time trial, the road race and his pet event, the individual pursuit.

It's no surprise he is eager to defend his Paralympic individual pursuit champion crown.

"Yes it [gold] is goal in the individual pursuit on the track. I have been training very hard to defend my title and just enjoy the experience in my other events," he said.

The individual pursuit will be Nicholas' first event on August 26 at the Izu Velodrome. The road time trial follows on August 31 at the Fuji International Speedway before Nicholas rounds out his campaign with the September 2 road race.

Australian cycling technical direction Warren McDonald is eager to see what the team can do.

"I think it's one of the strongest teams we've sent to a Paralympic Games for a long time," he said.

"It was a very tight selection, which makes it a really great honour for those who made the team."

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