Bhutan’s Recurve Archers Complete Qualification as Elimination Rounds Await
NAGOYA, JAPAN | 26 SEPTEMBER 2026
Bhutan’s Recurve Men put up a determined performance in the qualification round at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026. At the 70-metre qualification range, Dorji Lam led the Bhutanese trio with 659 points to finish 31st, followed by Kinley Tshering in 37th with 655 points and Sonam Penjor in 42nd with 649 points after all 72 arrows were completed.
Dorji Lam opened his qualification with 330 points in the first 36 arrows and followed that with 329 in the second half. He finished with six Xs and 24 arrows in the 10-ring, placing 31st overall in a field that included some of Asia’s leading recurve archers.
Kinley Tshering finished on 655 after shooting 324 in the first half and improving to 331 in the second 36 arrows. His final tally included nine Xs and 13 tens, while Sonam Penjor recorded 327 in the opening half and 322 in the second to finish with 649 points, six Xs and 16 tens. The qualification was led by India’s Dhiraj Bommadevara, who topped the standings with 698 points, followed by Korea’s Kim Je Deok on 693 and Chinese Taipei’s Tang Chih-Chun on 692. The results underline the level of competition facing the Bhutanese archers, with the qualification field bringing together athletes from across Asia. But the qualification ranking is now behind them. The competition moves into the knockout rounds, where the format changes from accumulating arrows over 72 shots to direct head-to-head matches.
DORJI LAM INTO THE INDIVIDUAL ELIMINATION ROUND
Dorji Lam, who finished 31st in qualification, will face Kyrgyzstan’s Ulukbek Kursanaliev, who qualified 39th, in the opening individual elimination round. Their match is scheduled for 29 September at 8:15 AM Japan Time. It will be a direct contest from the first arrow, with the winner advancing to the next stage of the individual bracket.
KINLEY TSHERING SET FOR INDIVIDUAL MATCH
Kinley Tshering finished 37th in qualification and will face Tajikistan’s Bakhtiyor Dilshodi, who qualified 37th, in his opening individual elimination match. The match is scheduled for 29 September at 8:15 AM Japan Time. With both archers separated only by their qualification positions and the elimination round resetting the competition, the focus now turns entirely to the head-to-head contest.
SONAM PENJOR’S QUALIFICATION CAMPAIGN
Sonam Penjor finished 42nd after 72 arrows with 649 points. While he does not appear in the 32-archer individual elimination bracket, his competition continues as part of Bhutan’s Recurve Men Team alongside Dorji Lam and Kinley Tshering. That team event gives all three archers another opportunity to compete together and continue Bhutan’s campaign on the Asian Games archery field.
BHUTAN’S RECERVE MEN TEAM READY FOR TEAM COMPETITION
Bhutan’s Recurve Men Team, made up of Dorji Lam, Sonam Penjor and Kinley Tshering, has been seeded 14th in the team bracket. The Bhutanese trio will face Korea, the top-seeded team featuring Kim Je Deok, Kim Woojin and Lee Woo Seok, in the Round of 16.
The match is scheduled for 27 September at 2:15 PM Japan Time at the archery venue. It will be a demanding assignment for Bhutan, with Korea entering the team competition as the No. 1 seed after a strong qualification showing. Bhutan, however, now starts with a clean slate in the team bracket, where three archers must work together across the match.
THE NEXT CHAPTER FOR TEAM BHUTAN
For Bhutan’s recurve archers, today’s qualification round was about finding rhythm, settling into the 70-metre range and completing the 72-arrow test. From here, the nature of the competition changes completely. Dorji Lam and Kinley Tshering will return for their individual elimination matches on 29 September, while all three archers will come together earlier for the Recurve Men Team Round of 16 against Korea on 27 September.
The qualification standings have set the bracket, but they will not decide the individual matches. Every contest starts again, and every arrow will carry its own weight.
BHUTAN’S RECERVE MEN QUALIFICATION RESULTS
31st — Dorji Lam
659 points
330 + 329 | 6 Xs | 24 tens
37th — Kinley Tshering
655 points
324 + 331 | 9 Xs | 13 tens
42nd — Sonam Penjor
649 points
327 + 322 | 6 Xs | 16 tens
UPCOMING MATCHES
27 September | 2:15 PM Japan Time
Recurve Men Team | Round of 16
🇧🇹 Bhutan vs Korea 🇰🇷
Dorji Lam | Sonam Penjor | Kinley Tshering
29 September | 8:15 AM Japan Time
Recurve Men Individual
🇧🇹 Dorji Lam vs Ulukbek Kursanaliev 🇰🇬
29 September | 8:15 AM Japan Time
Recurve Men Individual
🇧🇹 Kinley Tshering vs Bakhtiyor Dilshodi 🇹🇯
Meet Team Bhutan
Everything you need to know about Team Bhutan at the Asian Games 2026.