Thinley Namgay    

In a match that stretched to two days, team Gomdar Gewog defeated Karma Chusum in the finals of the Druk Wangyel National Archery Tournament yesterday at the Changlimithang archery range in Thimphu.

Gomdar bagged the title for the first time after competing in the tournament for the fifth year.

Gomdar Gewog defeated Karma Chusum with two straight sets of 25 points each.  In the first set on December 3, Gomdar won 25-23 in a competitive game and ended the day with 4-2 points.  Picking up from four points, Gomdar easily won the next set yesterday with opponents trailing at 16.

Gomdar’s captain Kezang Dorji said: “This hard-earned championship will be remembered for the rest of our life.”

He said of the 13 players, eight are from Gomdar and some were hired from other places depending on their performance.  “One of the toughest opponents we faced in the tournament was Namcha Nyinzer in the quarter-final. Luckily, we won in a deciding game.”

Namcha Nyinzer is the defending champion of the tournament. Namcha Nyinzer won against Kanglung last year.

Gomdar booked a berth at the final, after a deciding match against team Druk Green Power Corporation in the semifinal. While Karma Chusum won from Choki Wangmo Construction in the Twenty-four teams from across the country participated in the tournament that began on November 7.  This year fewer teams participated. There were 27 teams last year, and 39 in 2020.

Druk Wangyel National Archery Tournament is an annual event to pay tribute to His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo besides promoting traditional archery.

“Winning is important for archers but understanding the objective and participating is more important,” Kezang Dorji said.

Organised by the Bhutan Indigenous Games and Sports Association,  teams paid a registration fee of Nu 10,000 each. The annual tournament started in 2004.

Meanwhile, both the winner and runners-up received a team trophy and Jampelyang (Manjushri)  statue as an individual prize.