Afghanistan’s Olympic hero appointed head coach of New Zealand’s taekwondo team

Ruhollah Nikpai, who made history for his country after becoming a two-time Olympic medalist, has been appointed as the head coach of the New Zealand taekwondo team.

Nikpai, who hails from Maidan Wardak, is Afghanistan’s only Olympic medalist in any event when he won bronze in 2008 in Beijing. Four years later, he again won bronze in London.

In a post on his Facebook page Nikpai said: “I am genuinely honored to have been appointed as 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 the 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.”

Taekwondo New Zealand (TNZ) meanwhile confirmed in a statement this week that it had “secured the services of double Olympic Taekwondo medallist Rohullah Nikpai, appointing him as the TNZ National High Performance Team Coach. Nikpai, who represented Afghanistan at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic games, securing bronze medals at both events, has decided to continue his coaching career in New Zealand.”

“This is an amazing opportunity for Taekwondo in New Zealand to have such a highly talented resource on our shores. Nikpai is recognised in Taekwondo circles around the world as one of its premier athletes and we are extremely fortunate to have him involved in our High Performance programme as National High Performance Team Coach”, said the federation’s president Jin Keun Oh.

Nikpai takes up the reins immediately and will work with the team to prepare for the 2024 Paris Olympics.