Her
name:
 P.T
Usha - Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha
Born as the daughter of Paithal and Lakshmi, at Payyoli, a
small village in Kozhikode,Kerala, on June 27, 1964. She is
nicknamed as 'Payyoli Express' for her speed on the track.
Her
Growth:
In 1976 the Kerala State Government started a Sports School
for women, and Usha was chosen to represent her district,
at a cost of Rs. 250 per month paid by the state.
Her Coach:
 In
1979 she participated in the National School Games, where
she was noticed by O. M. Nambiar, who coached her through
most of the rest of her career.
Her
success:
P.T.Usha created her first national record (in the 100 m)
in 1977, when she was just 13 years old. An astrologer had
predicted greatness for this girl from an average middle-class
family.
Her
Success story:
 Usha
made her international debut at the Moscow Olympics in 1980
but she shone into the limelight in the 1982 Asian Games in
New Delhi, winning the silver in the 100 m and 200 m event.
At the Asian Meet in Jakarta in 1985 Usha established herself
as the Asian sprint queen with five gold medals (in the 100meters,
200m, 400m, 400m hurdles and the 4x400m relay) besides a bronze
in the 100mrelay.
This
magnificent performance was followed by an equally brilliant
spell an year later at the Asian Games at Seoul where Usha
notched up four golds and a silver medal.
The
finest and saddest moment in life:
The finest moment in Usha's career and also perhaps the saddest
however came in a single race at the 1984 Olympics in Los
Angeles. In the 400m hurdles Usha missed winning the bronze
by just 1/100th of a second. She recorded her best time of
55.42secs in that race -- still an Indian national record
-- but lost the medal in a photo-finish.
Usha said that she cried after the event because "It
was difficult to believe that I had missed an Olympic medal
by a whisker."
Her
Marriage and sports:
 In
1991, she married V. Srinivasan, and their son Ujjwal was
born the following year. Although she enjoyed domesticity
and motherhood, she was drawn back to athletics, and astonished
the country by winning bronze medals in the 200 m and 400
m at the Asian Track Federation meet in Japan, 1999. And,
silencing her critics, at the age of 34 she set a new national
record for the 200m, improving on her own previous record.
Her
School:
P.T Usha started a School of Athletics for impart training
to girl children from all over the country. The School, located
at Koyilandi near Kozhikode in Kerala, recruits children in
the 10-12 age group for its training.
Present
Usha:
 Usha
has won 101 international medals so far. At present she is
employed as an officer in the Southern Railway. In spite of
her age, married status and motherhood she is still active
in sports.
Visit P T Usha
's Profile in SocialPulse.com
Courtesy:
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