Bhutan’s national archery team is set to compete in the 2025 Asia Cup-World Ranking Tournament, Stage 1. The weeklong competition will start next Sunday in Thailand. Bhutan’s squad of four men will compete against elite athletes from across the world in both recurve and compound categories. The tournament is a significant event in the archery calendar, where participating athletes will aim to improve their individual and team rankings.
Four archers have been training rigorously at the Bhutan Archery Federation’s training ground at Langjophakha in Thimphu.
33-year-old Kinley Tshering from Paro, a full-time archer, is one among four athletes. He started playing archery in 2013.
Kinley has 17 international appearances including one at the 2019 South Asian Games in Nepal, where he secured one bronze and two silver medals.
He said, “We have been practising archery every week from 9 AM to 5 PM, with half-day sessions on Saturdays. Our preparation includes both individual and team matches. For individual games, we compete among ourselves, while for team matches; we have been playing against other teams online.”
Joining him is Lam Dorji from Samdrup Jongkhar. He too started playing archery in 2013. Lam has made 20 international appearances, including one at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Lam Dorji said, “We have recurve individual, recurve male team category and mixed team as well but we will be participating in team category and individual category.”
Similarly, 19-year-old Sonam Penjor from Lhuntse is the youngest member of the team. The recent Class 12 graduate began trying his hand at archery at the tender age of six.
He has made three appearances on the international stage. He says he has a lot of hope for the team matches this year.
He added, “In previous games, we could not go as a team but in this tournament, four of us got the opportunity to play as a team. So I have high hopes in team matches.”
And among the players, Karma Lhendup will be making his international debut.
Karma is currently studying at Lungtenzampa Middle Secondary School. The 20-year-old is hopeful of a positive outcome from his maiden international appearance.
“This is my first international tournament, and I have been practising archery for five years. I will do my best and strive to win, just like every athlete,” said Karma.
Head Coach Park Youngsook will lead the team. The Korean coach has been with the Bhutanese archers for over five years now.
“I am very proud of my four archers for being able to participate in this competition. Compared to the past, their technique and scores have improved a lot. So, I hope, they will do so much better than before in this competition,” said Park Youngsook, the Head Coach at Bhutan Archery Federation.
With over 200 archers from more than 20 countries registered so far, individuals will have to finish within the top 160 players to qualify for the elimination matches. Likewise, the Bhutanese team will have to fight for the top 24 positions to progress to the elimination round.
The tournament will culminate in the finals on February 22, with four teams and four individuals fighting for the top three positions.
Namgay Wangdi
Edited by Kipchu
