Shillong, Jun 15: Meghalaya suffered the loss of yet another past athlete in the form of Frankie Pariat, who was a member of the St Anthony’s Higher Secondary School squad that won the U-17 boys’ Subroto Cup in 1978, the first team from Meghalaya to win the national competition.
Pariat, an employee in the Accountant General’s office, was also a track and field athlete as well as cricketer. He passed away at a city hospital yesterday evening. One of the renowned footballer’s St Anthony’s team mates, Bhakot Mukhim, had died only a few days before.
Pariat (56) was a resident of Mawlynrei and had also played his local football for Blue Max and Shillong Lajong.
As a footballer he had played with Mukhim, L Darlong, Tensing Khyriem and Fullmoon Pyrtuh, among others.
As an athlete, he was of the same generation as Robinson Ryntathiang, who is now with the Archery Association of Meghalaya and who had shared Pariat’s photo with TSR. Pariat had represented Meghalaya at the Senior National Athletics Championship in 1991 and the Inter College Athletics Meet in 1984.
More recently, Pariat was the manager of the Meghalaya boys’ sub-junior football team in 2018.
His funeral will take place today.
(Photo credit: Robinson Ryntathiang)