The Bhutanese Karate team has secured four gold, nine silver, and eight bronze medals at the first Sikkim Open International Karate Championship 2025 in India. The team, consisting of 16 karatekas, competed against more than 500 participants.
The Bhutanese athletes participated in both the Kumite and Kata categories. The majority of the medals came from the Kumite category.
Riya Subba won a gold medal in Female Kumite Cadet.
Aanisha Rai bagged a gold medal in Female Kumite Junior, while Sastika Monger earned a gold medal in Female Kata Cadet and a silver medal in Female Kumite Cadet.
Amongst the younger athletes, Tenzin Norbu won a gold medal in Male Kumite and a silver medal in Male Kata Cadet.
Ugyen Namgay won a silver medal in Male Kumite.
Pema Choden claimed two silver medals in Female Kumite and Kata.
Ryoma Rigyel Sakurai brought home two bronze medals in both Kumite and Kata.
In the senior categories, Tashi Lhendup and Tshering Phuntsho secured bronze and silver medals in Male Kumite Senior while Lobzang Dorji won a silver medal in Male Kumite Senior.
Gyalwa Kuenyum earned two bronze medals in the Female Kata Junior and Senior categories.
Tashi Lhendup said “I feel very incredible, though it was tough competition. All my hard work and training paid off. My next goal is to undergo training that is even harder and participate in both international and national competitions. It was a great experience fighting against experienced fighters.”
Sastika Monger said “In this competition, I got gold in Kata and silver medal in under 54 kilogrammes in the Female Kumite Cadet 14 to 15 years. I had lots of fun and it was good. My goal is to perform much better than this time.”
The event saw fierce competition from five countries, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Japan.
According to the Thimphu Karate Club, their participation not only highlighted their achievements but also strengthened the cultural and sporting ties between Bhutan and the international karate community.
Karma Wangdi
Edited by Tshering Zam
