Name of the sportsperson: Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha ( P.T Usha)
Discipline: Athletics
State: Kerala
Date of Birth: 27nd June 1964
Major Achievements:
- Recipient of Arjuna Award ,1984.
- Greatest women athlete, in 1985 Jakarta Asian Athletic Meet.
- Padma Sree in 1984.
- Best Athlete in Asia Award in 1984,1985,1986,1987,and 1989.
- Marshal Tito award for the best railway sportsperson in 1984,1985,1989 and 1990
- 1986 Seoul Asian Games, won the Adidas Golden Shoe Award for the best athlete
- Thirty International Awards, for her excellence in Athletics.
- Kerala Sports Journalists Award for the year 1999.
- World Trophy for best Athlete 1985, 1986
Year Wise Achievements:
In Year 1980-
Won 4 Gold medals in the Karachi international Invitation meet.
In Year 1981-
Won 2 gold medals in Pune International Invitation meet.
1 gold medal in Hissar Int: Invitation meet. 2 gold medals in Ludhiana Int: Invitation meet.
In Year 1982-
Secured 1 gold medal & 1 bronze medal in the world junior meet at Seoul.
2 Silver medal in New Delhi Asian Games.
In Year 1983-
Secured 1 gold medal & 1 silver medal in Asian Track & Field Meet At Kuwait
2 Gold in Int: national Invitation Meet at New Delhi 2 Gold in Int: national Invitation Meet at New Delhi
In Year 1984-
Secured 1 gold medal in Int: national meet at Inglewood U.S.A
In Year 1985-
Secured 2 Gold & 2 Silver medal in the World Railway meet at Olomog,in Czech Republic and was adjudged as the Best Railway Athlete.
Secured 5th place in the World Grand Prix Meet at Prague in 400 m.hurdles
Won Bronze Medal in the World Grand Prix Meet at London in 400m.h.
Won Silver Medal in the World Grand Prix Meet at Britslawa in 400m.
Secured 4the place World Grand Prix Meet at Paris in 400 m.
Bronze Medal in the World Grand Prix Meet at Budapest in 400m.
Silver Medal in the World Grand Prix Meet at London
Silver Medal in the World Grand Prix Meet at Ostrawa
5th place in 400.M.H. & 4th place in 400.Metres in World Cup Championship held in Canberra
5 Gold Medals & 1 Bronze Medal in Asian Track & Field Meet at Jakarta.
In Year 1986-
6th place in the 400 m. in Good Will Games at Moscow.
4 Gold medals & 1 Silver medal in the Asian Games at Seoul
1 Gold medal in the Malaysian Open Athletic Meet
3 Gold Medals in Lions Athletic Meet at Singapore
2 Gold Medals in Four Nations Int: National Invitation Meet at New Delhi.
In Year 1987-
Secured 3 Gold medals & 2 Silver medals in the Asian Track & field Meet at Singapore
2 Gold medals in the Malaysian open athletic meet at Kuala Lumpur
3 Gold medals in the Int: invitation meet at New Delhi
5 Gold medals in the South Asian Federation Games at Calcutta
InYear 1988-
3 gold medals in the Singapore Open athletic meet at Singapore.
2 Gold medals in Pre-Olympics Intl athletic meet at New Delhi
In Year 1989-
4 gold medals & 2 silver medals in the Asian Track Field Meet At New Delhi
3 gold medals in the Intl Invitation Meet at Calcutta 4 gold medals in the Malayasian Open Athletic Meet
In Year 1990-
3 silver medals in the Beijing Asian Games
In Year 1994-
1 silver medal in the Hiroshima Asian Games.
1 bronze medal in the Intl Permit Meet at Pune.
InYear 1995-
1 Bronze medal in the SAF Games at Chennai
1 bronze medal in the Intl Permit Meet at Pune.
In Year 1998-
1 gold medal,1 silver medal and 2 bronze medal in the Asian Track Field Meet at Fukoka.
2 gold medals & 1 silver medal in the Raja Bhalendra Singh Intl Athletic meet at New Delhi.
In Year 1999-
1 gold medal & 2 silver medals in the SAF Games at Kathmandu
1 gold medal in the Raja Bhalendra Singh Intl Athletic meet at New Delhi.
Profile:
P.T Usha nicknamed as Payolli Express is one the best athletes that India has ever produced. She is often called the "queen of Indian track and field”. She has been associated with Indian Athletics since 1979. She currently runs the Usha School of Ahletics at Koyilandy in Kerala.
1979 she participated in the National School Games, where she was noticed by O. M. Nambiar, who later coached her throughout her career. Her debut in the 1980 Moscow Olympics was not that great. In the 1982 New Delhi Asiad, she got silver medal in the 100 m and the 200 m, but at the Asian Track and Field Championship in Kuwait a year later, Usha took gold in the 400 m with a new Asian record . Between 1983-89, Usha won 13 golds at ATF meets. She finished first in the semi-finals of the 400 metres hurdles in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, but lost in the finals. In almost a repeat of Milkha Singh's 1960 feat, there was a nail-biting photo finish for the third place. Usha lost the bronze by 1/100th of a second. She became the first Indian woman (and the fifth Indian) to reach the final of an Olympic event by winning her 400 m hurdles Semi-final.
In the 10th Asian Games held at Seoul in 1986, P. T. Usha won 4 gold and 1 silver medal in the track and field events. Here she created new Asian Games records in all the events she participated. She won five golds at the 6th Asian Track and Field Championship at Jakarta in 1985. Her six medals at the same meet is a record for a single athlete in a single international meet.
Usha has won 101 international medals so far. She is employed as an officer in the Southern Railways. In 1985, she was conferred the Padma Shri and the Arjuna award.
