Kathmandu: Nepal’s para taekwondo coach Kabiraj Negi Lama has won the World Taekwondo (WT) Para Coach of the Year 2025 award.

The global governing body for taekwondo, World Taekwondo, honored the national para team coach at the World Taekwondo Gala Awards held on Monday in the United Arab Emirates. A recipient of the prestigious Pulsar Sports Award last month, Negi Lama has become the first Nepali coach to receive a World Taekwondo award.

The World Taekwondo Technical Commission selected Negi Lama for the annual honor in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the development and expansion of para taekwondo in Nepal. The award was presented by WT President Dr Chungwon Choue.

World Taekwondo comprises 213 member nations, including the Nepal Taekwondo Association.

Negi Lama has served as Nepal’s national para taekwondo team coach since 2015 on a voluntary basis and has guided the country to 13 international medals. These achievements span competitions from the Asian Games to the Paralympics, and from the Asian Championships to the World Championships, yielding three gold, two silver, and eight bronze medals.

Under his coaching, Palesha Goverdhan won historic bronze medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games, while Srijana Ghising claimed a landmark gold at the 2022 World Grand Prix Final (G-10).