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.
More
on her Achievements and awards(click)
Courtesy:
Web Resources
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