In case there were any doubts about the sincerity of Nikolajev’s words, the 24-year-old made it explicitly clear to Olympics.com how much he’d be willing to sacrifice to see the track returned to its former glory.
“If I were offered three Olympics, or for the track to be rebuilt, I’d always go for the track to be rebuilt, versus going to three Olympics,” he said.
While his main fixation remains the restoration of Mount Trebević, Nikolajev’s also spent a considerable amount of time fundraising, practicing his starts and fine-tuning his driving ability in an attempt to keep his own Olympic dream alive.
“There’s so many internal problems that are stopping us to evolve, stopping us [from] taking the next step,” the Bosnian Olympian explains. “We’re moving, but we’re moving in millimetres and inches. We need to move in feet or metres.
“As much as I would really love to see a bit more support or attention go towards luge here in Bosnia, the fact that we don’t get the attention, I feel like I draw motivation from that as well; to succeed, to go further, to try harder.”
It’s the sort of determination that often doesn’t go unnoticed. As was, and still is, the case for Nikolajev, whose story has attracted support from around the world.
Donations through a crowdfunding campaign helped him obtain newer sleds ahead of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, while a more recent campaign helped him raise travel and training finances ahead of Milano Cortina 2026.
“I didn’t believe that so many people would get involved, [that] so many people would like to help, want to help,” states the surprised slider. “Then I realised, ‘Oh, sport is one thing that unifies us.’”
It’s a notion he has taken to heart considering the fractured history of his own country, and the current state of the world heading into the latest Olympic Truce.
“There’s been quite a lot of bad things in the world,” laments Nikolajev. “Bad things happening all around us, every day. I feel like everybody’s going crazy from that.”
“We need a lot of good to start happening. That’s what I’m hoping to do through my sport, even just by a little.”