Kinley Dem

Started: She took up shooting Para sport when she heard about its development in Bhutan in 2017. "My regular training started only by mid-2018." (Bhutan TODAY YouTube channel, 07 Mar 2024; kuenselonline.com, 19 Mar 2021) Reason: She was encouraged to take up shooting Para sport by her sister, who was a coach at the Bhutan Shooting Federation. "I was happy and agreed to her. It was my sister who trained me." (kuenselonline.com, 19 Mar 2021) Milestones: She became the first Bhutanese athlete to compete at the Para Asian Games when she participated in the 10m air rifle standing SH1 at the 2018 Games in Indonesia. She competed two days ahead of Bhutanese male Para archer Pema Rigsel. (SportsDeskOnline, 28 Apr 2020; drukson.com, 27 Mar 2020) Awards: She was Bhutan's flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (medias.paris2024.org, 28 Aug 2024) Additional Info: TRAINING ATMOSPHERE She says there are not many competitors and tournaments in Bhutan, so she is used to training in a quiet atmosphere. "When we practise here [in Bhutan], we don't have anyone to compete with [and] we don't have any spectators to watch while we are undergoing training. So, we are used to this silent atmosphere. However, when we reach the competition venue there are lots of people and we are not able to concentrate. Therefore, we get nervous and it affects our performance." (bbs.bt, 11 Apr 2024)