Bidhan Lama
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| Native name | विधान लामा | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Nepalese | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 22 March 1966 (age 60) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 160.02 cm (5 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 50 kg (110 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 daughters and a son | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Taekwondo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rank | Shichidan Black belt in Taekwondo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event | 50kg finweight | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Kailash Rai | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 1990 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Bidhan Lama (Nepali: विधान लामा; born 22 March 1966) is a Nepalese taekwondo practitioner who competed in the men's −50 kg division.[1][2]
Lama won a bronze medal at the 1986 Asian Games in the men's 50kg finweight event, becoming the first Nepali athlete to win a medal at the Asian Games.[3] He also won bronze medals at the 1987 World Taekwondo Championships and in the taekwondo demonstration event at the 1988 Summer Olympics.[4][3][5][6]
His bronze medal at the 1987 World Taekwondo Championships made him the first Nepali athlete to win a medal at a world championship in an Olympic sport. As of 2026, he remains the only Nepali athlete to have won a medal at the Summer Olympics.[7]
Lama represented the Nepal Taekwondo Association throughout his competitive career.[8] At the 1988 Summer Olympics, he defeated Ebenezer Ghansah of Great Britain in the opening round and Choi Chan-ok of West Germany in the quarter-finals before losing to Juan Moreno of the United States in the semi-finals, earning a bronze medal in the demonstration event.[9]
He also won a silver medal at the 1988 Asian Taekwondo Championships, the first silver medal won by Nepal at the championships.[5]
Post-competitive career
[edit]After his competitive career, Lama moved to the United States in the early 1990s. He has stated in interviews that the move was for educational and professional opportunities and to support his family.[10][11][12]
In 1995, Lama established a taekwondo training center in the United States.[7][8][11] He subsequently worked as a taekwondo instructor and has continued to promote taekwondo among the Nepalese diaspora while supporting the development of the sport in Nepal.[7][11]
Awards and honours
[edit]National honours
[edit]Nepal
[edit]- 1986 –
Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu, Member Fifth Class[8] - 1987 – Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu, Member Fourth Class[8]
Legacy
[edit]Lama is regarded as one of the pioneers of taekwondo in Nepal.[6][13] His bronze medal at the 1986 Asian Games was Nepal's first medal at the Asian Games, while his bronze medal at the 1987 World Taekwondo Championships was the country's first medal at a world championship in an Olympic sport.[7] His achievements contributed to the growth of taekwondo in Nepal and earned him national honours, including the Fourth and Fifth Class of the Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu.[8]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Bidhan Lama". Olympedia.
- ↑ Bidhan Lama. InterSportStats
- 1 2 Taekwondo at the 1988 Seoul Summer Games: Men's Finweight. sports-reference.com
- ↑ Official Report, Games of the XXIVth Olympiad Seoul 1988, Volume 2: Competition Summary and Results (PDF) (PDF). Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee. September 1989. pp. 715–725. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 17 May 2007.
- 1 2 LAMA, Bidham. taekwondodata.com
- 1 2 "Bidhan Lama wins a medal in a demonstration Olympic sport". Nepali Language Resource Center. 2 December 2015. Archived from the original on 19 March 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 Pandey, Binod (20 June 2015). "विधानको त्यो पदक" [That medal of Bidhan]. eKantipur. Archived from the original on 10 January 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Bhandari, Shree Bikram (13 April 2022). "नेपाली खेलकुदका 'सुपरम्यान' तेक्वान्दोका धरोहर विधान लामा" [The 'Superman' of Nepali sports, Taekwondo's heritage Bidhan Lama]. Mero Khel. Archived from the original on 19 May 2026.
- ↑ "Ebe Ghansah". Team GB. 3 November 2024.
- ↑ "Sports not free from brain drain". myRepublica. 3 November 2010. Archived from the original on 14 September 2025.
- 1 2 3 "DojoCast #7 - Bidhan Lama". YouTube (Podcast). Sensei Mish. 11 May 2019.
- ↑ Timalsina, Prakash (5 July 2024). "Bidhan Lama - Hamro KhelCast". YouTube (Podcast). No. Season 1, Episode 49. Hamro Khelkud.
- ↑ Oli, Prajwal (23 July 2019). "Political intervention and lack of plans are taking a toll on martial arts". The Kathmandu Post.
External links
[edit]- Bidhan Lama at Olympics.com
- "Bidhan Lama faces Britain's Ebe Ghansah in the first round of the finweight division at the 1988 Seoul Olympics". YouTube. David Henry. 22 March 2013.
- Nepal's BIGGEST SUCCESS in SPORTS. YouTube. The Nepali Comment. 7 August 2024.
- Living people
- Nepalese male taekwondo practitioners
- Olympic taekwondo practitioners for Nepal
- Taekwondo practitioners at the 1988 Summer Olympics
- Taekwondo practitioners at the 1986 Asian Games
- Asian Games bronze medalists for Nepal
- Asian Games bronze medalists in taekwondo
- Medalists at the 1986 Asian Games
- Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics
- People from Kathmandu District
- Sportspeople from Bagmati Province
- World Taekwondo Championships medalists
- 1966 births
- Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu