Alexandros Nikolaidis was a Greek taekwondo athlete who was named the 2008 Greek Male Athlete of the Year.
Nikolaidis won the silver medal at the 2004 Olympics held in Athens after losing to Moon Dae-Sung of South Korea in the gold medal match.
Born on 17 October 1979, Nikolaidis sadly lost his life on 14 Oct. 2022, at age 42, three days to his 43rd birthday.
What happened to Alexandros Nikolaidis?
Two years to his death, Nikolaidis was diagnosed with NUT carcinoma, an extremely rare type of cancer.
How did Alexandros Nikolaidis die?
Nikolaidis passed away after battling NUT carcinoma (NC), also known as NUT midline carcinoma, a type of rare cancer usually found in the head, neck, and lungs and grows from the squamous cells in the body, which are cells that make up the skin and lining of some organs, like the lungs and stomach.
In a heartfelt message released on Oct. 14, which was written before he died, he explained how nut carcinoma took his life: