Henk Meijer

Henk Meijer was born on 22 July 1959 in the Netherlands. 1985 Taekwondo World Champion - the first non-Korean ever to win the title, at the World Championships held in Seoul, South Korea. A historic achievement that changed the perception of Taekwondo as a Korean-only sport. He also won multiple European Championship titles and medals, establishing himself as the dominant European Taekwondo fighter of his era. His World Championship victory in Seoul inspired a generation of Western Taekwondo practitioners and helped accelerate the sport's global growth. After retiring from competition he became a high-level coach, serving as head coach for both the Dutch and Greek national Taekwondo teams, and contributing to the development of the sport through seminars and organisational work.