With less than two weeks to go before the Asian Games, Bhutan’s two distance runners are stepping up their training in Thimphu. Gawa Zangpo and Sangay will compete in the 5,000 and 10,000-metre events in Japan, as they prepare to take on some of Asia’s best runners.
Their training day starts at six in the morning with warm-ups and stretching before they move into demanding running sessions.
Gawa Zangpo and Sangay have been preparing for about six months. They train for around three hours in the morning and another three hours in the evening. Their sessions focus on endurance, speed, strength and race preparation.
For 33-year-old Gawa Zangpo from Mongar, the Asian Games will be another important chapter in his running career. He will compete in the 5,000 metres and holds the national record with a time of 14 minutes and 33 seconds.
Gawa has represented Bhutan at several international competitions, including the South Asian Senior Athletics Championships, Asian Athletics Championships and Asian Cross Country Championships. He has also won major races in Bhutan, including the Snowman Race in 2022.
“We are training well for the Asian Games. After training hard, I would love to win a medal if possible. If not, I am hoping to break my own national record and achieve a personal best time. I hope to perform well after all the hard training we have done here.”
33-year-old Sangay from Zhemgang will compete in the 10,000 metres. He represented Bhutan at the 2019 South Asian Games in Nepal, where he finished sixth in the 10,000-metre race with a time of 32 minutes and 47 seconds. He has continued to compete in middle- and long-distance races.
Sangay won the men’s full marathon at the inaugural Thimphu Marathon last year and has also won the Bhutan Coronation Marathon. He has represented Bhutan at around five international competitions.
“The coach is providing us with good training, and BAAF is also supporting us with its best efforts. From my side, I am also working hard. I am hoping to perform well and achieve a good result at the Asian Games.”
As part of their preparations, the athletes have completed a 25-day training camp in Paro and also undergone training in India.
The athletes are training under head coach Varun from India. The training programme focuses on building endurance, improving speed and preparing the runners to peak at the right time.
“Their performance started improving gradually, and they reached their peak performance at the right time. So that’s more important. The right performance should come at the right time,” said Varun Krishnan K., Head Coach.
For Gawa and Sangay, months of preparation have now brought them to the final stage of their Asian Games campaign.
They will leave for Japan next Friday, hoping to put their training to the test and deliver their best performances on the Asian stage.
The 20th Asian Games will run from 19 September to 4 October, with more than 15,000 athletes.
Karma Wangdi
Edited by Tandin Phuntsho
