Jennifer Nichols: Christian Olympian Opens Up About Virginity and First Kiss at 27
Jennifer Nichols may have earned her place in the upcoming Olympic Games as an archer for the third time in her life, but she is also speaking up about saving herself for marriage and being a woman of God.
The 28-year-old archer recently admitted to experiencing her first kiss last year, at the tender age of 27. In an interview with U.S. weekly, Nichols described her decision to wait for her first kiss.
"I saved my first kiss for the man I knew I was going to marry - my fiancé. I made that commitment when I was about 13-years-old," Nichols told the publication. "I knew that I wanted to save my kiss on top of purity. I felt like a kiss was something very special and I wanted to save that."
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Nichols met her fiancé, Chris Hardy, when the pair attended Texas A&M University together in 2009. She opened up to the publication about her initial attraction to her future husband who also happens to be a devout Christian.
"We were both in the same political science class," Nichols told Us Weekly. "I saw him from across the room and I was really attracted to him and then one morning I was coming from my Arabic class and I had a box of donuts and I saw him sitting on a bench so I offered him some donuts."
Now, the Christian Olympian has said she is in the process of planning a wedding with Hardy.
"Chris is extremely involved in the planning process," the Wyoming native told Us Weekly about the fiancé she will marry Sept. 1. "We Skype like crazy. We email links back and forth of wedding venues and photographers."
Although Nichols recently opened up about her virginity and first kiss, the Christian athlete has also been vocal about her faith in the past. In a USA Today report, the archer said she is looking to glorify God with what she does.
"I take comfort in knowing that I'm a here because the Lord brought me here and having a purpose in what purpose he has for me, not necessarily knowing where he's going to take me, but the excitement of knowing that there is a plan," Nichols said. "I'm excited to be able to offer whatever I can to be able to glorify the Lord in what I do."
