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AWARDS AND HONOURS

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 10/17/2020 11:21:07 AM

Bombayla Devi: Recipient of Padma Shri

Bombayla Devi Laishram (born 22 February 1985) is an Indian archer. A member of the national recurve team representing India at the international events since 2007, she has won a silver medal at the World Archery Championships, and four gold, five silver, and four bronze medals at various editions of the Archery World Cup. Laishram peaked at no. 14 in the world rankings in March 2009. Born in Imphal East, Manipur, Laishram began playing archery at the age of 11 and joined the Sports Authority of India under the guidance of her father. Having participated at the national level since 1997, she made her international debut in 2007. Laishram played as a regular member of the recurve team that represented India at the international circuit, winning gold medals at the 2011 Shanghai, and the 2013 Medellin, and the Wroclaw World Cup stages. She won her first international individual medal, a bronze at the Asian Archery Championships in 2013. Laishram has represented India at the Olympics on three occasions, reaching the pre-quarterfinals twice. She has also won medals at other multi-sporting events, including a gold at the Commonwealth and a bronze at the Asian Games. Laishram was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2012 and the Padma Shri in 2019 by the Government of India for her contributions to sports. Early life Laishram was born on 22 February 1985, in Manipur to M. Jamini Devi, a local archery coach and Manglem Singh, the state coach for Manipur’s handball team. She started archery at the age of 11, and later joined the Sports Authority of India and started training there. Laishram revealed in an interview that she started archery following her family's tradition in the sport. She currently resides in Imphal, Manipur. Career Breakthrough and career-high ranking (2007–2009) Laishram's breakthrough came in 2007, when she won–as a part of the women's recurve team–the bronze medal at the 2007 Asian Archery Championships. She made her debut at the Archery World Cup in 2007. She was seeded no. 11 after the qualifications rounds, with a total score of 1313; the Indian team consisting of her, Dola Banerjee, and Chekrovolu Swuro were had the highest collective score. Laishram lost in the second round of the individual discipline, but reached the semifinals in the team event. India lost to Italy, but defeated Poland to win the bronze medal. Laishram represented India at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the women's individual.