Nneka Okpala
New Zealand athlete
Nneka Okpala (born 27 April 1988) is a New Zealand athlete. She competes mainly in the triple jump.[1][2] She has won the New Zealand women's triple jump competition five times and the Australian women's triple jump title once.[3][4]
Okpala's parents emigrated from Nigeria to New Zealand in 1987, and Okpala was born in Ōtāhuhu, Auckland the following year.[5] She joined the Papatoetoe Athletics Club when she was 6 years old, and when she was 15 she started competing in the triple jump.[6] Two years later she represented New Zealand at the 2005 IAAF World Youth Championships in Morocco.[3] The same year, she also represented New Zealand at the Sydney Youth Games.[1]
In 2015, she competed for New Zealand at the World University Games in Korea, finishing eighth in the triple jump,[3] while studying at Monash University, Melbourne.[7] Additionally in 2015, Okpala won the Essendon Athletics Club Athlete of the Year award and was named the Monash University Female Athlete of the Year.[6]
Okpala graduated from Monash University with a master's degree in international health.[8]
References
- ^ a b "Nneka Okpala | New Zealand Olympic Team". New Zealand Olympic Team. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- ^ "Profile of Nneka OKPALA | All-Athletics.com". www.all-athletics.com. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- ^ a b c "Athletics: Okpala siblings making noise in triple jumping". NZ Herald. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- ^ "Athlete Nneka Okpala on why she loves Flemington". The Weekly Review. 17 June 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- ^ Maduewesi, Christopher (8 March 2016). "Nneka Okpala extends her New Zealand Triple Jump NR!". Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- ^ a b "Monash University's Female Athlete of the Year for 2015". teammonash.blogspot.co.nz. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- ^ New Zealand, Massey University. "Big Massey presence in New Zealand's World Uni Games team - Massey University". www.massey.ac.nz. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- ^ "Dual Triple Jump Success for Monash University at Nationals!". teammonash.blogspot.co.nz. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
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New Zealand national champions in women's triple jump
- 1988: Jayne Mitchell
- 1989: Lisa Ball
- 1990–1991: Jayne Moffitt
- 1992: Jayne Mitchell
- 1993: Leanne Stapylton-Smith
- 1994: Tania Murray
- 1995–1996: Shelley Stoddart
- 1997: Tania Dixon
- 1998: Shelley Avery
- 1999: Tania Dixon
- 2000: Shelley Avery
- 2001: Kelera Nacewa
- 2002: Shelley Avery
- 2003: Kelera Nacewa
- 2004: Chantal Brunner
- 2005: Véronique Boyer (NCL)
- 2006: Kiri Kendall
- 2007–2010: Marissa Pritchard
- 2011–2015: Nneka Okpala
- 2016–2018: Anna Thomson
- 2019–2020: Kayla Goodwin
- 2021–2023: Anna Thomson
- 2024: Hannah Collins
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