The Road to Paris in 2024

By Robert Fox

Two years ago, in this very edition, we shared the stories of three exceptional Holly Springs athletes that had just returned from Tokyo after competing in the 2020 Olympic Games. The games were actually held in 2021 due to COVID. All three athletes—Nikita Ducarroz, Daniel Dhers and Andrew Capobianco—medaled in the games. Now, two years later, they are all continuing their Olympic journeys, as they carve their paths to compete in Paris in July of next year.

Each of these athletes is worthy of having an article written about just them, and one could fill a book, so I can really only scratch the surface of their accomplishments both professionally and personally. The last time I interviewed them, they had just returned from Tokyo. 

I met with Daniel in a 24-hour window while he was back in Holly Springs, before he left for Madrid for another competition. As tired as he was, he took pictures with us in front of Town Hall, allowed us to hold the medal, and even took a couple of photos with passersby (I’m talking about you, Captain Patterson). 

I met with Andrew within a couple of hours of his plane landing from Tokyo. After a surprise (for him) police escort to Holly Springs, followed by a HSFD truck ride to the Cultural Arts Center, he spoke to the crowd, and then stayed there, greeting everyone that wanted to meet him, and letting every youth in attendance take a photo with him, while they wore his newly acquired silver medal straight from Japan. 

Nikita was still traveling in Europe when she took the time to talk with me. 

At that point, they didn’t know the national media firestorm that awaited them as Olympic champions. To watch their journeys for the year following their Olympic performances was nothing short of incredible. These athletes, whom I know to be kind and humble Holly Springs locals, became overnight national heroes in the countries that they represented. 

I spoke to each of them about what it was like to return after the Olympic Games to the countries they were representing. Nikita shared the experience of her return to Switzerland with me:

“When I got back to Switzerland, it was pretty crazy. We had an escort off the plane and went through a special security area and ended up on a stage in the “arrivals” area, where we were greeted by a lot of media and a packed house. It was just interviews and flashing lights and craziness. People had brought giant Swiss cowbells and were ringing those, clapping, banging on things…It was sort of all a blur until the moment I zoned into the crowd and realized my dad was standing right there. That’s when I lost it, and the tears just came out. 

My parents never pushed me to be anything or pressured me in ways where I would feel like I could ever let them down or anything like that, but I just felt this overwhelming sense of knowing I had made them so proud, and an entire country proud. That was a pretty unreal feeling. 

From there, we took the train four hours to Geneva. I was recognized a few times on the train, and at the train station, or when we stopped into a mini mart. I was on the front page on all the newspapers. Of course, I was trying just to be under the radar and get home, but my coach and brothers did their best to embarrass me by pointing at the photos and yelling “That’s you!” across the room. 

I did a few more days of media back in Geneva, got to go to a Gold Masters tournament with Omega watches, but overall it was pretty chill. The Swiss aren’t as crazy and outgoing as Americans, and even when people would recognize me, they were hesitant to say anything or ask for a photo. I could definitely feel the pride, but it wasn’t over the top and settled down pretty quickly. 

One funny moment [happened] a week or two after. I was just riding the local skatepark in Geneva with friends and a cop car pulled up and two cops got out and started walking over to where we were sitting. I was thinking to myself, “Great, what did we do now?” and as I kept riding, I could see them sort of looking over at me. Finally, one of them walks over and to my surprise asks for a photo. It turns out he was from the small town where one of my grandmothers lives in the mountains, and she knits sweaters for his young daughter. I thought that was pretty cool. I stayed a few weeks in Switzerland to be with family and ride bikes then it was back to business as usual.”

Daniel Dhers had a similar experience when he returned to Venezuela. Being one of only four medalists representing Venezuela, there was quite a fanfare when he returned. 

“Venezuela has had a lot of turmoil, politically, lately. The country really embraced us when we got back. I feel like a lot of the people were excited to have some good news coming out of the country. It was crazy. Since there were posters of me and the other medal winners everywhere, I was recognized everywhere I went. At times, I couldn’t make it through the crowds without help. We really were treated like royalty, with dinner events and constant appearances everywhere. 

Although I have dual citizenship, and have lived longer in the U.S. than Venezuela, I have to say that it felt good to represent a country that really needs some wins right now. It reignited my appreciation for the country where I was born and raised. Since then, I’ve really enjoyed riding with the local kids, and being a part of special events that have been organized there for me.”

Since the last Olympic Games marked the inaugural year for BMX Freestyle competition as an event, Daniel and Nikita made history by medaling. The international Olympic Museum is located in Lausanne, Switzerland. That’s where you’ll find Daniel’s Olympic helmet and Nikita’s bike on display.

People often wonder why someone that lives and trains in the U.S.A. would compete internationally, representing another country. There are many different reasons. It could be one, or a combination. 

Only a certain number of athletes can qualify from each country, and not all countries automatically qualify. In the 2020 games for example, in BMX Freestyle, there were only 9 men, and 9 women accepted to compete worldwide. The U.S. was allowed only two male and two female athletes. Sometimes it’s easier to qualify representing a different country. 

There is always a place in our heart for where we started. Although many of these athletes live and train in the U.S., there is something special about representing our first home.

National pride. A lot of U.S. athletes medal at the games. The U.S. brought back 113 medals from the 2020 games. Daniel competed for Venezuela and was one of four medalists. It’s the most medals Venezuela has ever won in an Olympics competition. Nikita competed for Switzerland and brought home one of 13 medals won for the country.

These are only few of the examples. Did you know that most athletes are compensated from their countries for medaling as well? It varies depending on the country. A bronze medal in the U.S., for example, would earn you $15,000. A bronze medal while representing Italy would earn you $71,000. Singapore will pay $250,000 (and $1,000,000 for a gold). Singapore has won a total of five Olympic medals since 1948.

So, here’s an update and a little more about these amazing people and athletes since our article two years ago.

Nikita Ducarroz

Nikita has now lived in Holly Springs for over three years. She is one of the top five female riders in the world for BMX Freestyle. Why Holly Springs? Simply put, Daniel Dhers. We’re going to talk more about Daniel later, but the construction of the Daniel Dhers Action Sports Complex in the Holly Springs Industrial Park brought riders from all over the world to Holly Springs, and still does. 

Nikita was born in Nice, France, to a Swiss French father and American mother. She was raised in California. She was the bronze medal winner in the 2020 Olympic Games, competing for Switzerland to honor her father. Since winning the bronze, Nikita has racked up an impressive coffer of additional wins, including first in the European Championships in 2021, third in the 2022 BMX World Cup in Montpellier, France, and two more second-place finishes in the 2022 World Championships and World Cup Overall, respectively. More recently, she finished fourth in the 2023 World Cup in Belgium. 

She’s much more than a BMX rider, however. You would never know it to talk to her, but Nikita suffers from an anxiety disorder that at times has been debilitating. 

“It’s funny when I deal with anxiety and panic attacks on the world stage because I got into BMX as a way to help my anxiety in the first place. It has tremendously, but I for sure still deal with it, whether it’s traveling to events (something that has always been hard) or the pre-contest panic that likes to show up at the most inconvenient times. It’s just been something I’ve had to learn to deal with, the same way you would include, say, a warmup to get your body ready for the competition. I cope with a combination of techniques and exercises that I can do myself that I’ve learned over the years (such as deep breathing, visualization, listening to my favorite music, etc.) as well as surrounding myself with a solid team that knows how to handle things if I do go into panic mode. 

For example, at World Championships last year I was dealing with sickness before going. I was really struggling in practice with crashes and confidence, and right before qualifying I had a massive panic attack, the worst I’ve ever had at an event. I was in my tent, and it felt uncontrollable at that point, but my coach and physio[therapist] knew what to do and they just helped me with the breathing exercises, pressure points, and a good old-fashioned pep-talk to calm me down. That’s all stuff we had worked on ahead of time so that when it happened, they could just jump right into action. A team effort. I ended up getting second place, and it’s definitely one of those moments all three of us look back on like “how on earth did we pull that off?” I know I was able to do it because of all the work behind the scenes, and having an amazing team that understands. It was about preparing for the panic and treating it in training just as you would train your body physically.” 

Nikita is an advocate for creating awareness about mental health. She has developed an Instagram page called MindTricks where athletes and others can share their stories about mental health. In addition to representing Red Bull, Mongoose Bikes and Omega watches, she is a proud member of the Swiss National Team. 

Daniel Dhers

Daniel Dhers is the Holly Springs old-timer in his sport. Daniel is the reason that all of these BMX athletes are here. A true example of “build it and they will come.” I was proud to be at the grand opening at the Daniel Dhers Action Sports Complex (DDASC) on May 3, 2014. Suburban Living was brand new, and this was exciting news for Holly Springs. One of my favorite stories about Daniel is a testament to his character. I was walking around the complex taking photos for the magazine. My wife decided that she would meet up with me there. The place was packed—people everywhere. My wife showed up and was looking around the 70,000-square-foot facility trying to find me. Daniel and I had not yet met, so we were still strangers. Amid the chaos of his grand opening, Daniel approached my wife and asked if she needed help. She explained that she was looking for someone who was there taking photos. He remembered seeing me, and brought her right to me outside, at the back of the facility. He treated her like he was her chaperone, but this huge event was all about him and his new facility, and he was getting pulled in 100 different directions. This is only one of many stories you’ll hear about Daniel and his never-ending kindness and generosity.

At 38 years old, Daniel is one of the godfathers of the sport. His resume is as impressive as an A-list actor. Five X-Games gold medals, four-time Dew Tour Champion, Pan-Am Games gold medal winner, and silver at the 2020 Olympics, just to name a few. The full list of his professional accomplishments is nothing short of astonishing. If you’re still scratching your head as to why we have so many BMX Olympians in the area, he’s the reason. 

Daniel was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. He entered his first contest in 2003, and then won the Dew Cup in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010. He moved to Holly Springs in 2013 and focused on getting DDASC opened, which as you can tell, has become a training center for the world’s top riders. By the time Daniel had won his first Dew Cup, many of the riders he currently competes against were still in diapers. He’ll be 39 when the Paris Olympics begin in July of 2024. Daniel was part of the process of the sport being admitted to the Olympics. When we spoke post-Olympics two years ago, I asked if the 2020 Games was going to be the end of competing for him. At the time, he said, “You know, I’ve been thinking about that. Here we are in 2021. If I can stay healthy, the next games are only three years away. I’m going to train for it and see how it goes.”

Now, two years after he spoke those words to me, and one year from competing in Paris, I asked about his current mindset and what the path to Paris looks like for him.

“It’s going to take a lot of precise riding. Contests don’t give you much practice so it’s extremely hard to dial your runs in; there isn’t much that we can do, but I hope to be able to be strategic about it. Lately, there have been a lot of weather delays, and they postpone the contest for a day or two. That makes it tough to stay focused. There is a routine you go through before competing, and when it’s delayed, that can throw you off. 

Currently, my days are extremely busy with traveling, riding and also coaching a national team to prepare for the Olympics. I’ve only been able to spend six weeks in the U.S. this year. It’s crazy because that’s where I live. With so many events and responsibilities, I’ve had to get smart with my time. I’m riding a lot more because of the coaching but I’m away from home a lot more which sometimes can be emotionally draining.”

His plans after Paris? It looks like we may be seeing less of him in Holly Springs, unfortunately. 

“My wish is to qualify for Paris and retire from professional competitions there. I’m kinda saying goodbye to a lot of events as I’m competing in them this year for the last time. Events that I’ve been fortunate enough to compete in for years like the Pan American Games. After that, I would like to take some time off and travel without competing on my mind, although we travel extensively as you know. [He was competing at the World Championships in Scotland, then went on to Vigo, Spain, to compete again in the one week that we were working on this article.] And possibly move back to Venezuela after 23 years of being away. We’ll see!”

Andrew Capobianco

The last athlete we want to tell you about is not here because of Daniel Dhers. He’s a diver—the incredible Holly Springs High School graduate Andrew Capobianco. Andrew dove for HSHS and went on to an amazing collegiate career at Indiana University. 

I met Andrew for the first time when he arrived in Holly Springs after getting off the plane from Tokyo. After the celebration at the Cultural Center, we walked together to Town Hall to get a photo for the cover of Suburban Living. He had just gotten off the flight. I felt terrible asking for him to do these photos, knowing how exhausted he must have been. He couldn’t have been any more patient, or any nicer about it. After the photo shoot, my daughter, a twelve-year-old gymnast at the time, asked me to ask him if he would do a handstand with her for a photo. He didn’t hear the question, but heard me tell her that I wouldn’t ask, because he was tired, and hadn’t even had a meal yet. He asked me what her question was and responded, “Of course I will!” As tired as I can only imagine he was, he immediately went into a handstand and held it for what must have been two minutes, as still as a statue, while my daughter was doing handstands near him, and I was getting photos that she will cherish forever. This story only scratches the surface of the character of this accomplished young man.

I asked him about his return from Tokyo. 

“The experience was amazing. The amount of support that I felt from my friends, family, community was incredible. Winning a medal was something that I had been dreaming of for so long and since there was no crowd in Tokyo it was a little strange at the time. But coming home to everyone waiting for me and welcoming me back made it so special. 

I guess the craziest thing that happened after I got back, was being able to ride in the pace car at an IndyCar race with Mario Andretti as the driver. It was such a cool experience, and then we got to stay and watch the race, which I had never seen, so it was awesome!”

So, what does the path to Paris look like for Andrew? 

“The road to Paris is exciting! I feel like I am trending in the right direction with my diving and my health. I’ll be preparing in the pool with training twice a day, about 25 hours per week. I will also be working with my trainer who works on body mechanics and mobility to keep getting more range of motion and strength in areas that are weak for me. I’ll be working with my strength coach hard at the beginning of the season to get a great base level of strength heading into the year and then maintaining that while making small gains throughout the year. 

Outside of my training, I am going to make sure to prioritize doing things that make me happy and keep me recharged so I can go into training with a good mindset. Sometimes you can get so focused on a goal you forget that there’s more to life than just that, so balance will be the key for me heading into the run for Paris.”

While at Indiana, Andrew took a break in the summer of 2021, after qualifying for both the 3-meter individual and 3-meter synchronized dive for the Olympics. Andrew and his diving partner won the silver medal at the Tokyo games, the current pinnacle of a long list of accolades. Andrew was a ten-time All-American at Indiana; he is a four-time senior national champion with three 3-meter titles and one synchronized title. He took bronze in the 2019 Pan American Games. 

More recently, he competed in the NCAA this year, where he swept the B1G championships on 1-meter, 3-meter, and platform. He won the NCAA Championship in 3-meter, which was his third title. He then won the USA Diving Nationals which qualified him for the World Championships. In August, he secured his first-ever individual world medal. Another plateau reached. He finished third at the World Cup in Germany, making it the best finish by a U.S. 3-meter diver since 2009. 

Now, at only 22 years old, he’s preparing for Paris. Andrew dove in Japan the week before Germany at the World Championships and with his finish secured a spot for Team USA for his event in the Olympics. But he will still have to compete to be the one that takes that spot in Paris. 

For Andrew Capobianco, however, his accomplishments in the pool don’t define him. “Personally, I would say my biggest accomplishment has been the start-up of our junior club diving team. This has been something we have been trying to do for a while in Bloomington and we were finally able to get it up and running. I am the head coach, and the growth of the program has been great, along with some good results from our divers. We had one diver qualify for Nationals in her first year of diving!”

Be sure to tune in to the Summer Games from Paris to watch our hometown athletes!