Nneka Okpala


Nneka Okpala is a New Zealand athlete. She competes mainly in the triple jump. She has won the New Zealand women's triple jump competition five times and the Australian women's triple jump title once.
Okpala's parents emigrated from Nigeria to New Zealand in 1987, and Okpala was born in Otahuhu, Auckland the following year. She joined the Papatoetoe Athletics Club when she was 6 years old, and when she was 15 she started competing in the triple jump. Two years later she represented New Zealand at the 2005 IAAF World Youth Championships in Morocco. The same year, she also represented New Zealand at the Sydney Youth Games.
In 2015, she competed at the World University Games in Korea, finishing eighth in the triple jump. Okpala competed for New Zealand, although she was studying at Monash University, Melbourne. Also in 2015, Okpala was named Monash University Female Athlete of the Year, and won the Essendon Athletics Club Athlete of the Year award.
Okpala graduated from Monash University with a master's degree in international health.