Sherab Zam

Lore & Background

Sherab Zam was born on 10 October 1983. Although she did archery as a child, she returned to the sport in 2005 after seeing a newspaper advertisement for Bhutanese national team tryouts. She qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics through an invitation from the Tripartite Commission. In an interview before the Games, she stated, 'Participation is more important than winning a medal.' Despite not owning a bow, her training included preparation in South Korea and India. Her coach for the women's individual archery event was Tshering Choden, who had represented Bhutan at the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics. The two trained for several weeks in the Netherlands as part of a Dutch-Bhutanese exchange program.

Reader's Guide

Sherab Zam's significance lies in her role as a representative of Bhutan on the international stage, particularly as the nation's flagbearer at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Her participation was facilitated by a Tripartite Commission invitation, highlighting the opportunities for athletes from smaller nations. After her competition, she acknowledged her skill level, saying, 'I am not that good at archery but I love it. It was so good to meet world ranking archers who are famous and to watch how they do it. I have learnt a lot from them.' She also noted that meeting Queen Elizabeth II was the highlight of her time in London. In January 2014, she left the national team and shifted to coaching, becoming an assistant coach for the Bhutanese national archery team and a coach at Chundu Armed Forces Public School, thereby contributing to the development of future archers in Bhutan.

Did You Know?

• Sherab Zam was selected as Bhutan's flagbearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics.
• She did not own a bow but trained in South Korea and India before the Olympics.
• She returned to archery in 2005 after seeing a newspaper ad for national team tryouts.