By Our Reporter
Shillong: One of the best sportspersons of Meghalaya, Matsiewdor War Nongbri, was felicitated on Wednesday by the Archery Association of Meghalaya (AAM) in recognition of her being the first person from the state to judge archery events at the recently-held Olympics.
Nongbri was felicitated at Khasi National Dorbar Hall in Mawkhar in the presence of Chairman of the Meghalaya State Law Commission, AH Scott Lyngdoh, among others.
Nongbri, the eldest daughter of the late Woodward Sohliya and Berlin War, took up archery at the age of 15.
She participated in the 4th and 2nd Sub Junior National Archery Championship in December 1981, where she bagged her first archery medals by winning a silver and bronze.
Lyngdoh lauded the contribution made by Nongbri, saying that she is the first among the Khasis to have achieved so much in her lifetime, despite many obstacles.
“She has brought honour not only to her family, but to the society and the state as a whole and she has indeed made us very proud,” Lyngdoh said.
Amongst the many medals she claimed in various Junior and Senior Nationals across the country, Nongbri was champion in the First Federation Cup Archery Championship in 1985, Overall Champion in the North Eastern Sports Festival in 1987, where she claimed five gold medals, and went on to be Overall Champion, taking with five gold medals, at the 3rd Sports Festival for the North Eastern Region.
Back home, she was awarded the prestigious U Kiang Nangbah State Award followed by many others.
After her national achievements, Nongbri went on to achieve international success, representing India at the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi as an official and, in 1986, she was selected as a member of the Indian Archery Team for the Asian Games held in South Korea.
Nongbri then went on to qualify as an international judge in 1994 and from then on officiated in numerous events around the world.
She credits her late father for her success, saying that he was behind her success in archery.
“My dream was totally different from other people’s dream and that was to be on the podium in every event and watch the tricolour hoisted and sing the National Anthem,” she said.
Nongbri said that “the road to be an international judge was not very easy,” but “each one of us has the capacity in achieving our goals and ambitions with hard work, sacrifice and determination.”