He said that "the expectations are always high, but you must get there step-by-step. It is commonly known that in taekwondo you must honor and respect every opponent. I hope I will be in good shape on that day, and reach as high as possible."

Nikolaidis started practicing taekwondo at the age of 3 and his father was his Master. That helped him very much as it gave him the basis and the fundamentals of the sport in a very high level.

Nikolaidis is the fan and supporter of ARIS club. He likes to watch the basketball and football games by ARIS club players when he has time. Like other young people, he likes to spend a lot time in front of a computer, listening to music or watching some movies in his sparetime.

Nikolaidis said he visited China in 2007 for the World Taekwondo Championships, but he hadn't had any time to go sightseeing as he had to prepare himself for the competitions.

"I would really love to see China again, without any sports obligations, and a lot of touring time in my hands," said Nikolaidis.

(Xinhua News Agency July 30, 2008)