Amin Nikfar

Two-time Olympian Amin Nikfar is in his first season as throws coach for the Stanford track and field team.

Nikfar, a 2006 Cal graduate and shot put competitor for Iran, coached throws and the high jump at Southeastern Louisiana the previous three seasons and served as the school’s associate head coach.

Nikfar coached Alex Young to the U.S. hammer and weight throw titles and an NCAA weight championship in 2017. Young was an IAAF World Championships qualifier and NCAA hammer runner-up finisher. Nikfar’s athletes at Southeastern Louisiana earned four All-America honors. He coached 11 NCAA East Prelims qualifiers, nine Southland Conference champions and 15 conference podium finishers.

Nikfar competed in the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Games and in two World Championships. He was a nine-time Iranian champion and broke national records six times. He was the 2004 Asian indoor champion, still ranks No. 6 on Cal’s all-time list in the shot at 61-11 from 2004. His lifetime best of 65-9 ½ (20.05 meters) from 2011 remains an Iranian record.

Nikfar was born in San Jose, grew up in Santa Clara, and was a two-time state shot put qualifier at Wilcox High School, where his coach was Mike Buncic, a two-time Olympian who holds the Cobb Track and Angell Field discus record (226-3, 68.98m).

Nikfar coached throws in 2014 at St. Francis High in Mountain View and went on to coach throws, jumps, and multis for two seasons at University of New Orleans, where his athletes combined for nine school records and a Southland Conference championship.