Thinley Namgay

Of the four para-athletes representing Bhutan at the fourth Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China, two were eliminated as of yesterday.

Bhutan fielded shot putter Chimi Dema, archer Pema Rigsel, shooter Kinley Dem, and badminton player Sapuna Subba.

Para archer Pema Rigsel qualified for the next round following his success in the ranking round yesterday. Pema secured 573 points out of 720. He stood 20th of the 35 archers.

In the men’s individual recurve elimination round of 16, Pema Rigsel will face Sahil of India today.

Chimi Dema will compete in a shot put event on October 28.

Meanwhile, shooter Kinley Dem and badminton player Sapuna Subba have exited the Games.

Kinley Dem acquired 613.4 points out of 720 yesterday in the women’s 10m air rifle category, but couldn’t make it to the top eight.   She stood 10th among 12 shooters.

Badminton player Sapuna lost to Rina Marlina of Indonesia 21-19, and 21-15 yesterday. She also lost to Fengmei of China 21-6, and 21-5.

Para athletic coach Penjor Gyeltshen said that only a few countries could win medals in the Asian Para Games.

He said that he wants his participants to have fun and break their records. “For a young National Paralympic Committee (NPC), participation and representation is very important.”

As of yesterday, China was leading with 53 medals comprising 29 gold, 19 silver and 14 bronze. China is followed by Iran, and India with 18 and 17 medals, respectively.

Her Royal Highness the Princess Eeuphelma Choden Wangchuck, the President of the Bhutan Paralympic Committee, and her entourage attended the opening ceremony of the Games at Huanglong Sports Centre Stadium on October 22. The competition will end on October 28.

The opening ceremony was attended by over 3,100 athletes from all the 43 NPCs who are members of the Asian Paralympic Committee.

The games feature 566 gold medal events in 22 sports. Para taekwondo, para canoe and board sports are included for the first time. Blind football and rowing were reintroduced this time after excluding in the 2018 Asian Paro Games in Indonesia.