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 will compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics as the Czech team's sole male freestyle skier.
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 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 a 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
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]
Personal life
Novak is openly bisexual. He has developed a large following on social media, with almost one million followers on TikTok, and 131,000 on Instagram.[5][6]
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Czech Republic 
United States 
