Bhutanese Archers Shine in Qualification Round of 2025 Asia Cup-World Ranking Tournament

Bhutanese Archers Shine
in Qualification Round of 2025 Asia Cup-World Ranking Tournament

Bangkok, Thailand – The Bhutanese archery team made a remarkable impact today in the qualification round of the 2025 Asia Cup-World Ranking Tournament, Stage I. Competing against some of the best archers from across the continent, the four-member squad—Lam Dorji, Kinley Tshering, Sonam Penjor, and Karma Lhendup—displayed impressive skill and determination under the guidance of Head Coach Park Youngsook.

In this tournament, archers compete in both individual and team events. The qualification round includes two rounds, each consisting of 36 arrows. Individual rankings are determined based on the total score, while the top three archers from each country contribute to the national team ranking.

Among the 73 competitors, Bhutan’s archers delivered a solid performance:

Kinley Tshering ranked 28^th
Lam Dorji secured the 32nd spot
Sonam Penjor placed 40^th
Karma Lhendup finished 49th

With the top three archers forming Bhutan’s team for the Recurve Men Team event, Coach Park will make the final decision on the lineup. Despite finishing in 49th place, Karma Lhendup could still be selected if the coach believes he can add strength to the team.

“I’m really happy with the boys’ performance today,” said Head Coach Park Youngsook. “They’ve worked incredibly hard, and it’s showing in their results. We’re taking it one step at a time, but I have confidence in their abilities going forward.”

In the Recurve Men Team category, Bhutan currently sits at 9th place out of 17 nations, ahead of strong teams like Uzbekistan, Hong Kong, Singapore, UAE, Belgium, Thailand, the Philippines, and Bahrain. India leads the rankings heading into the next stage.

“To see our team ranked in the top 10 is an amazing feeling,” said Kinley Tshering. “We’ve proven that Bhutanese archers can compete at this level, and we are hungry for more.”

Tomorrow marks a pivotal day for Bhutan’s archers as they compete in the Individual Recurve Men matches:

Lam Dorji vs. Mia Md Rakib (Bangladesh) – 10:10 AM
Karma Lhendup vs. Stinkens Feel (Belgium) – 09:15 AM
Sonam Penjor vs. Alshemeri Ahmed (Bahrain) – 09:15 AM
Kinley Tshering vs. Abdulkhamidov Shokhjakhon (Uzbekistan) – 10:10 AM

Winning these matches will propel them into the next stage of the individual competition.

Looking ahead to the Recurve Men Team match on February 21, Bhutan will face Japan at 9:45 AM. A victory could set up an exciting potential showdown against India.

“The journey isn’t over yet,” said Sonam Penjor. “We’ve fought hard to get here, and we are ready to fight even harder in the next rounds.”

With high spirits and a strong showing in the qualification round, Bhutan’s archers are proving that they are a team to watch in this year’s tournament.

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