INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
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
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
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
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
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.The post Afghanistan&s Olympic hero
appointed head coach of New Zealand&s taekwondo team first appeared on Ariana News.
