Bhutanese para badminton player Cheyang Kuenchap made his debut at the 5th Asian Para Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Japan yesterday. The 15-year-old lost his second league match against Malaysia today. Nineteen players from 12 countries are competing in the men’s singles WH2 category.
Competing in Group F, Cheyang has one league match remaining against South Korea. He is ranked 65th in the world. His opponents from Thailand, Malaysia and South Korea are ranked 25th, ninth and 47th, respectively.
He lost his opening match against Thailand yesterday in straight sets.
Coach Dorji said Cheyang is young and has not participated in as many international tournaments as the other players.
“He is young, and we have not participated in as many international tournaments as the other players. They have more experience and higher world rankings. Since Cheyang is lower-ranked, he has been drawn against players who are much higher in the rankings,” the coach said.
Cheyang has spent months preparing for his first Asian Para Games. He trained for two to five hours a day, focusing on speed, balance, upper-body strength, wheelchair movement and shot accuracy.
A Class Five student at Changangkha Middle Secondary School in Thimphu, Cheyang moved to the capital to train at the indoor badminton court in Babena.
Cheyang Kuenchap said, “I manage my time between studies and badminton training. I go to school at 8 AM and return after lunch for training. I train from 2 PM to 5 PM and work hard to give my best. I give equal importance to both my studies and training and try to balance my time between the two.”
Cheyang has represented Bhutan in around five international tournaments. He also won a bronze medal at the Asian Youth Para Games in Dubai.
Coach Dorji said, “Hard work beats talent. If we have talent but do not work hard, it is of no use. The main thing is to work hard. But whatever training we do, we must prove ourselves in competition. I always tell him that, although Bhutan is a small country, we must show discipline. We must put into competition what we have learned through training.”
With one league match remaining, Cheyang looks forward to finishing his group campaign strongly, with the top two players advancing to the quarter-finals.
Karma Wangdi
Edited by Sangay Chezom
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