Tshering Choden (archer)

Lore & Background

Tshering Choden was born in Trashigang, Bhutan. After excelling at sports in school, she was encouraged to try archery in 1998 by her brother, who was a member of the Olympic team. She competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics and later at the 2004 Summer Olympics, where she entered with a world ranking of 176. At the 2004 Games, she was one of two Bhutanese athletes, alongside fellow archer Tashi Peljor, and was selected as Bhutan's flagbearer for the opening ceremony. In the women's individual event, she placed 54th in the preliminary ranking round with a score of 600 points out of 720. In the first elimination round, she defeated China's Lin Sang by three points, becoming the first Bhutanese archer ever to win an Olympic match. In the second round, she faced India's Reena Kumari; both scored 134 points over the regulation eighteen arrows, but Kumari outscored Choden 7–4 on the tie-breaking arrow. Choden attributed her low score in the tie-break to nerves.

Reader's Guide

Tshering Choden's significance lies in her pioneering achievement for Bhutanese archery at the Olympic level. By winning her first elimination match at the 2004 Summer Olympics, she became the first archer from Bhutan to secure an Olympic victory, a milestone that raised the profile of the sport in the country. Her participation in both the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, along with her role as flagbearer in 2004, underscored her prominence within Bhutan's small Olympic delegation. After retiring from competition in 2005, Choden returned to archery in 2007 as a coach, guiding the only Bhutanese archer at the 2012 Olympic Games, Sherab Zam. Her legacy includes not only her competitive achievements but also her contribution to developing the next generation of Bhutanese archers. She was also the subject of the 2004 Arte documentary 'Die Bogenschützin von Bhutan', which further documented her story.

Did You Know?

• She was encouraged to take up archery in 1998 by her brother, who was on the Olympic team.
• She defeated China's Lin Sang in the first elimination round of the 2004 Olympics, becoming the first Bhutanese archer to win an Olympic match.