Kabiraj Negi Lama

Kabiraj Negi Lama (कविराज नेगी लामा) (born 20 September 1989 in Dandakharka, Makwanpur) is a notable figure in Nepalese Para Taekwondo. He is a successful coach who has significantly contributed to the sport in Nepal. Under his coaching, Nepal has won 10 international official medals, including 3 gold, 2 silver, and 5 bronze. He is a former Nepali taekwondo player, coach of the Nepal National Para Taekwondo Team, and the 2020 Summer Paralympics coach. He has participated in various taekwondo competitions. He is also the grandson of former minister Tilak Bahadur Negi Lama.

Career as an athlete
He won the gold medal in the 9th Jeju International Sports for All Taekwondo Championships, Poomsae category, in 2009 in South Korea.

Coaching career
He has held a 6th Dan Black belt from Kukkiwon South Korea and the Nepal Taekwondo Association (NTA) since 2023.

He is an International Para Taekwondo Coach, having acquired the International Coach Certificate and Para Taekwondo Level-II License, conducted by World Para Taekwondo in December 2020.

He has been the Team Coach of the National Para Taekwondo Team, Nepal Taekwondo Association, since 2015.

2016
He was the Team Coach at the 20th Asian Cities Taekwondo Championship held in Hong Kong, China, in 2016. Later that same year, he participated in the Para Taekwondo Course in Muju, South Korea.

2017
He was the Team Coach at the 3rd 2017 Asian Para Taekwondo Championships in Choenchoun, South Korea, where para athlete Ranjana Dhami won a bronze medal in the Kyorugi (K-44) category.

2018
His team participated in the Gold Coast Open Taekwondo Championship held in Australia, where he represented the team as the Team Manager.

2019
He participated as the team coach at the 8th 2019 World Para Taekwondo Championships, where athlete Bikram Shrestha won a bronze medal in Antalya, Turkey.

Later, he participated in the Para Taekwondo Training Camp in Miki City, Japan. organized in Miki City, Japan.

2021
His athlete Palesha Goverdhan won a gold medal, while Shrijana Ghising and Bishal Garbuja each won a silver and a bronze at the 2021 Asian Youth Para Games. He led the para team as the coach to achieve these historical medals in 2021 Asian Youth Para Games.

He also coached Nepal at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Games, where his athlete Palesha Goverdhan won repechage matches against athletes from the United States and Serbia in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympics Games.

2022
Lama participated as a team coach in the Para 4th WT President's Cup Asian Region Taekwondo Championships on 14 March 2022 in Tehran, Iran, where his player Shrijana Ghising won a silver medal for Nepal.

He also participated as a team coach in the Sharjah Qualification Tournament for the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games in Sharjah, UAE on 24–27 May 2022, where his athlete Ranjana Dhami won a bronze medal for Nepal.

As the Team Coach of the Riyadh 2022 World Para Taekwondo Grand Prix Final held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, his athlete Shrijana Ghising won the first historical gold medal for Nepal in the World Taekwondo Grand Prix-Final after defeating top-ranked athletes from Mexico, Brazil, and Turkey.

2023
Negi Lama participated as a team coach in the 2022 Asian Para Games held in Hangzhou, China, from 22 to 28 October 2023. During this time, his player Palesha Goverdhan won a bronze medal, becoming the first Nepalese para athlete to win a medal in the Asian Para Games.

2024
Negi Lama led as a coach in the Asian Qualification Tournament for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games held in Tai'an, China, from 15 to 17 March 2024. His player Palesha Goverdhan won a gold medal, making history as the first Nepali Paralympian to qualify for the 2024 Summer Paralympics Games.

Negi Lama also participated in the 2024 Asian Para Taekwondo Championships held in Da Nang, Vietnam, on 19 May 2024, as a team coach.

Awards and Nominations
1. Lama was nominated as the best coach of the year in the NSJF Pulsar Sports Awards 2078,by Nepal Sports Journalists Forum (NSJF) held on 7 March 2023.

2. Negi Lama has been awarded NOC Best Coach Male 2022 by Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC Award 2022) on 23 June 2023. Appreciating his contribution to the development of Para Taekwondo in Nepal, he has been honored with NOC Award Best Coach Male 2022.

3. Negi has been awarded Best Taekwondo Coach Award-2024 by Nepal Taekwondo Association held on 20 April 2024 in Sauraha Chitwan. He was honored by Minister of Youth and Sports Honorable Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha and President of Nepal Taekwondo Association Prakash Shamsher Rana.