Rohullah Nekpa, a former member of Afghanistan’s national taekwondo team and a two-time Olympic medalist, has been appointed as the head coach of the New Zealand national taekwondo team.
Since he previously served as the head coach of Afghanistan’s youth national taekwondo team, Nekpa brings a wealth of expertise to his new position. Surprisingly, Nekpa is the only athlete from Afghanistan to have won two Olympic medals in the adult category.
Nekpa’s accomplishments include two bronze medals in 2008 and 2014, as well as a silver medal from the Asian Taekwondo Championship in 2012, in addition to his Olympic successes in 2008 and 2012. His accomplishments include a 2011 World Championships bronze medal.
“I am genuinely honoured to have been appointed New Zealand taekwondo national team coach by the New Zealand taekwondo federation. I am committed to giving my skills and knowledge to lead our team to new heights of excellence and, all together, to make history for New Zealand taekwondo. Thank you for entrusting me with this responsibility. I am truly excited to embark on this journey with you all,” Nekpa said on his social media account.
Meanwhile, This Monday, Taekwondo New Zealand (TNZ) announced that it has “secured the services of double Olympic Taekwondo medalist Rohullah Nikpai, appointing him as the TNZ National High-Performance Team Coach.”
Nikpai assumes leadership immediately and will collaborate with the group to prepare for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
