P.T. Usha- The Firestarter
Golden Girl, Payolli express, Queen of track and field. These are some of the names P.T. Usha (Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha) is known by. The torchbearer of Indian women in sports, the athlete who inspired generations, P.T. Usha is a name that first springs to mind for most Indians when they think about Indian sportswomen.
Until the early 80’s, Hockey was the only Olympic achievement India was known for. Then came P.T. Usha. A 16-year-old track and field athlete who was and still is the youngest ever Indian to qualify for the Olympics. In the 1984 L.A. Olympics, Usha faced high expectations to bring home a medal. But she missed the bronze in the 400m hurdles by 1/100th of a second. Because she hadn’t dipped her chest into the finish line! It was such an emotional moment that the gold medallist cried for the heartbroken Usha.
An injury further squashed her dream of an Olympic medal. But she sprung back and established herself as the queen of Asian track and field by having an unbeaten career haul of 14 gold medals in Asian Championships and 4 in Asia Games in addition to more than a 100 international wins.
After retiring in 2000, Usha set up a free school for training women athletes and through that she continues to work on her dream to win an Olympic gold.
“A reporter asked me why I want to win the Olympic medal?
- It is the only thing I have worked for all my life and will continue to do so. Every day!”
P.T. Usha
I remember as a child, I thought the PT in P.T. Usha was an abbreviation for Physical Training. That’s how synonymous she was with sports. This was a time when the cable TV mania hadn’t hit India and whenever we put on the only TV channel we had, we saw her. I was so motivated by her that it led me to try my hand at athletics. It is a different story that no medals came my way, but this marked the beginning of my lifelong love for sports which has taught me many important life skills.
P.T. Usha may have missed an Olympic medal. But she is the one who changed the mindset of millions from “can we do it” to “we will do it”. She is the one who inspired thousands of girls to push beyond all limits and pursue their passion.
P.T. Usha wasn’t just an athlete. She was the one who started a revolution.
Part of the series- I Am Possible
