By early 2012 Nicholls had posted a sub-21 second 100m sprint and qualified for the Summer Paralympics in London, as part of the Great Britain team, in both the 100m and 200m events. In the 100m she was drawn in the first heat but her time of 22.41 saw her fail to progress to the final. In the 200m heats she finished fourth and qualified for the final. Nicholls finished seventh with a time of 40.00.