Nagoya, Oct 2 — Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha looked back on her remarkable journey from the athletics track to sports administration, saying her era was vastly different from the present generation and that her achievements were built through passion and hard work despite limited facilities.
Usha, famously known as the ‘Payyoli Express’, competed at three Olympic Games: Moscow in 1980, Los Angeles in 1984, and Seoul in 1988. She made history at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics by becoming the first Indian woman to reach an Olympic athletics final, narrowly missing a medal in the 400m hurdles after finishing fourth.
Reflecting on her achievements, Usha said there was little point in comparing her performances with those of athletes competing today because the circumstances were completely different. “I actually cannot compare at all. See my winning performance and record, all those things with my passion and hard work,” Usha told IANS on the sidelines of the ongoing Asian Games here.
The former sprinter and hurdler said the significance of her legacy lies not simply in the longevity of her records but in the inspiration they provide to the next generation. “I was wondering, see, the great legacy of the record is not just how long it stands or how to inspire the new generation. That I have done. It’s with my passion and hard work that I have done in Los Angeles,” she said.
Usha also recalled the lack of facilities during her competitive career, saying the sporting ecosystem available to athletes today is very different from what she experienced. “No facilities at all, even for running 10 hurdles, the third hurdle, the third time I did it in Los Angeles. That is, the record stayed. In the sense that now there are so many facilities the government is supporting,” she said.
She welcomed the growing support for Indian sport and expressed hope that athletes of the current generation would make the most of the facilities and backing available to them. “It’s good that the government and everyone are together for sports people, and in the coming future, I think that will do well; players will do well, hopefully,” said Usha.
However, she stressed that her own journey should be viewed in the context of the circumstances of her time. “But you cannot compare my days and now. That is totally different. That is with full hard work and passion I did,” she added.
Usha secured India’s first athletics medal at the 1982 Asian Games before producing one of the most memorable performances by an Indian athlete at the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul, where she won four gold medals.
Her journey did not end with her retirement from competitive athletics. She moved into sports administration and became involved in developing young track-and-field talent through the Usha School of Athletics in Kozhikode, Kerala.
In December 2022, Usha was elected unopposed as the president of the IOA, becoming the first woman to lead India’s apex Olympic organisation.
Speaking about India’s ongoing campaign in Nagoya, Usha also celebrated the country’s four gold medals on Friday, with three coming in boxing and one in wrestling.
“So happy to hear Jana Gana Mana. A lot of flags have gone up for silver and bronze, but today we have won four gold medals, with three in boxing, and one is in the wrestling area, Jana Gana Mana. "It's so great, and it’s a good day for us,” she said. “Yeah, in the medal tally list, we came from 15th to fifth. Hope that we will overtake Uzbekistan by tomorrow,” she added.