May 28, 2025
THIMPHU – Bhutanese archer Kinley Tshering claimed gold medal in the foreign individual recurve category at the 2025 Gyeyang Open Archery Championship in Incheon, South Korea, yesterday, marking one of Bhutan’s most notable international archery victories in recent years.
Kinley triumphed over a seasoned Japanese opponent in the final, edging out competitors in a top-four field that included archers from Bhutan, Japan and Russia. Fellow Bhutanese archer Sonam Penjor shared third place with a Russian archer, rounding off a strong showing for the national team.
Their performances have reignited optimism in Bhutan’s archery community ahead of the crucial Asia Cup Stage 2 in Singapore. More than individual triumphs, these results underscore the team’s growing discipline, skill, and Bhutan’s emergence as a serious contender in international archery.
The foreign individual recurve category, excluding host South Korea, featured 47 archers from 10 countries: Bhutan, Japan, China, Singapore, the Philippines, Tajikistan, Mongolia, Malaysia, Denmark, and Russia.
Since mid-April, Bhutan’s national team has trained intensively under South Korean head coach Park Youngsook at the Langjophakha archery range in Thimphu. The results in Incheon reflect the impact of this high-level mentorship.
Kinley Tshering was unavailable for comment following his victory. Sonam Penjor, however, expressed fierce determination despite finishing third: “Even though I got the bronze, it’s not the finish line—it’s the mindset that refuses to quit. And trust me—I’m not done. I’m just getting started. I will give my best in every competition.”
Team Bhutan also put up a spirited fight in the Recurve Men’s Team event on May 23, where Kinley Tshering, Sonam Penjor, and Karma Lhendup narrowly lost to Russia, 5–1. Bhutan scored 56, 55, and 53 across three sets, while the Russian side consistently shot 56 in each.
In the individual open recurve event on May 22, Kinley reached the third round, while Sonam advanced to the second. In the ranking round, Kinley placed 25th out of 135 archers with 677 points out of 720. Sonam ranked 85th with 651 points, and Karma 111th with 618. Based on these scores, only Kinley and Sonam progressed to the elimination stage.
Kinley defeated South Korea’s Lee Seungil 6–4 but lost to Choi Doohee in a tiebreaker shoot-off after a 5–5 deadlock across five sets. Sonam was eliminated by 28th-seed Song Injun of South Korea, drawing only the first set 28–28 before falling 7–1.
The team will remain in South Korea for further training until June 14, sharpening their skills for upcoming international competitions.
The Incheon tournament, held from May 20 to 25, proved to be a valuable proving ground—offering the Bhutanese archers not just medals, but meaningful exposure as they aim for bigger targets in the months ahead.