 is a retired Indian track and field athlete. She was born in Kuttali, Kozhikode, Kerala){kind=link}
Pilavullakandi Thekkeraparambil Usha born 27 June 1964) is a retired Indian track and field athlete. She was born in Kuttali, Kozhikode, Kerala. She has been associated with Indian athletics since 1979. She has won 4 Asian gold medals and 7 Silver medals. She is often called the “Queen of Indian track and field”.
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Pilavullakandi Thekkeraparambil Usha [1] |
| Name(s) Earned [2] | • Payyoli Express • Udanpari • Asian Sprint Queen • Running Machine • Golden Girl of India |
| Profession(s) | Former Athlete, Nominated Member of Rajya Sabha |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters– 170 cm in meters– 1.70 m in feet & inches– 5’ 7” |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Athletics | |
| International Debut | Pakistan Open National Meet at Karachi (1980) |
| Coach/Mentor | O. M. Nambiar |
| Personal Best | • 100 m: 11.39 (Jakarta 1985) • 200 m: 23.05 (Lucknow 1999) • 400 m: 51.61 (Canberra 1985) • 400 m hurdles: 55.42 NR (Los Angeles 1984) |
| Medal(s) | Gold • 1978: National Inter-State Meet held in Kollam, Kerala in 100 metres event • 1979: XXV National Games in Hyderabad in 100 metres event • 1983: Asian Championship held in Kuwait City, Kuwait in 400 metres event • 1985: Asian Championship held in Jakarta, Indonesia in 100 metres event • 1985: Asian Championship held in Jakarta, Indonesia in 200 metres event • 1985: Asian Championship held in Jakarta, Indonesia in 400 metres event • 1985: Asian Championship held in Jakarta, Indonesia in 400 metres hurdles event • 1985: Asian Championship held in Jakarta, Indonesia in 4×400 metres relay event • 1986: Asian Games held in Seoul, South Korea in 200 metres event • 1986: Asian Games held in Seoul, South Korea in 400 metres event • 1986: Asian Games held in Seoul, South Korea in 400 metres hurdles event • 1986: Asian Games held in Seoul, South Korea in 4×400 metres relay event • 1987: Asian Championship held in Singapore in 400 metres event • 1987: Asian Championship held in Singapore in 400 metres hurdles event • 1987: Asian Championship held in Singapore in 4×400 metres relay event • 1989: Asian Championship held in New Delhi, India in 100 metres event • 1989: Asian Championship held in New Delhi, India in 200 metres event • 1989: Asian Championship held in New Delhi, India in 400 metres hurdles event • 1989: Asian Championship held in New Delhi, India in 4×400 metres relay event • 1998: Asian Championship in Fukuoka, Japan in 4×100 metres relay event Silver • 1982: Asian Games held in New Delhi, India in 100 metres event • 1982: Asian Games held in New Delhi, India in 200 metres event • 1983: Asian Championship held in Kuwait City, Kuwait in 200 metres event • 1986: Asian Games held in Seoul, South Korea in 100 metres event • 1987: Asian Championship held in Singapore in 100 metres event • 1987: Asian Championship held in Singapore in 4×100 metres relay event • 1989: Asian Championship held in New Delhi, India in 100 metres event • 1989: Asian Championship held in New Delhi, India in 4×100 metres relay event • 1990: Asian Games held in Beijing, China in 400 metres event • 1990: Asian Games held in Beijing, China in 4×100 metres relay event • 1990: Asian Games held in Beijing, China in 4×400 metres relay event • 1994: Asian Games held in Hiroshima, Japan in 4×100 metres relay event • 1998: Asian Championship in Fukuoka, Japan in 4×100 metres relay eventBronze • 1985: Asian Championship held in Jakarta, Indonesia in 4×100 metres relay event • 1998: Asian Championship in Fukuoka, Japan in 200 metres event • 1998: Asian Championship in Fukuoka, Japan in 400 metres event Other Notable Events • 1980: Finished 5th in the Olympic Games held in Moscow, Russia in 100 metres event • 1984: Finished 7th in the Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, USA in 4×100 metres hurdles event • 1985: Finished 5th in the World Cup held in Canberra, Australia in 400 metres hurdles event • 1985: Finished 8th in the World Cup held in Canberra, Australia in 4×100 metres event • 1988: Finished 7th in the Olympic Games held in Seoul, South Korea in 400 metres hurdles eventNote: She has won many more medals at various national and international events. |
| [3] Records | Asian Records • 1984: 55.42 seconds record in 400 metres hurdles event in Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, USA • 1985: 11.64 seconds record in 100 metres event in Asian Championship held in Jakarta, Indonesia • 1985: 23.05 seconds record in 200 metres event in Asian Championship held in Jakarta, Indonesia • 1985: 52.62 seconds in 400 metres event in Asian Championship held in Jakarta, Indonesia • 1985: 51.61 record in 400 metres event in World Cup held in Canberra, AustraliaAsian Games Records • 1986: 23.44 seconds record in 200 metres event in Asian Games held in Seoul, South Korea • 1986: 52.16 seconds in 400 metres in Asian Games held in Seoul, South Korea • 1986: 56.06 seconds in 400 metres hurdles in Asian Games held in Seoul, South Korea • 1986: 3:34.58 time record in 4×400 metres relay event in Asian Games held in Seoul, South KoreaNational Records • 1981: 11.8 seconds in the 100 metres and 24.6 seconds in the 200 metres events in the senior inter-state meet in Bangalore • 1983: 23.9 seconds in 200 metres event in Open National Championships in Jamshedpur • 1983: 53.6 seconds in 400 metres event in Open National Championships in Jamshedpur • 1998: 44.43 seconds record in 4 x 100 metres relay event in Asian Championship held in Fukuoka, Japan |
| Awards & Honours | Awards • 1984: Padma Shri Award • 1984: Arjuna Award • 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1989: Best Athlete of Asia Award • 1984 and 1986: World Trophy for The Best Athlete of Asia • 1984, 1985, 1989 and 1990: Marshal Tito Award for The Best Railway Sportsperson in the Indian Railways • 1986: Adidas Golden Shoe award for Best Athlete at the 1986 Seoul Olympics • 2000: Best Sportswoman of the Century by the Indian Olympic Association • 2019: IAAF Veteran Pin AwardHonours • 2000: Honorary doctorate (D.Litt.) conferred by Kannur University • 2017: Honorary doctorate (D.Sc.) conferred by IIT Kanpur • 2018: Honorary doctorate (D.Litt.) conferred by the University of Calicut • 2022: 6th Honorary Doctorate degree by Vinayaka Missions Research Foundation |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 27 June 1964 (Saturday) |
| Age (As of 2024) | 59 Years of 2024 |
| Birthplace | Koothali, Kerala |
| Zodiac sign | Cancer |
| Signature | |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Koothali, Kerala |
| School(s) | • Trikottur AUP School in Kozhikode, Kerala (class 1 to class 7) • GVHSS (Sports) Kannur, Kerala |
| College/University | Providence Women’s College, Kozhikode, Kerala [4] |
| Ethnicity | Malayali [5] |
| Food Habit | Non-vegetarian [6] |
| Controversy | Accused of Cheating and Dishonesty In 2021, an former Indian athlete Jemma Joseph filed a complaint in the Vellayil Police Station against P. T. Usha and six other members of a construction company. The complaint was filed under IPC Section 420 (cheating and dishonesty). [7] In the complaint, Jemma said, “I paid Rs 46 lakh to Usha for an apartment and was promised that the construction will be completed within the given time. However, the apartment was not ready nor did the construction company was ready to give back the money. When I confronted the builders, the firm said PT Usha was accountable for paying back the sum but the former national athlete did not give back the money.” Later, the complaint was forwarded to Kozhikode Police Chief AV George. The case was forwarded to the Kerala Real Estate Regulatory Authority. |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Marriage Date | 25 April 1991 |
| Family | |
| Husband/Spouse | V Srinivasan (inspector at the Central Industrial Security Force and former national kabaddi player) |
| Children | Son– Dr Vignesh V Ujjwal (sports medicine expert) |
| Parents | Father– E.P.M. Paithal (cloth merchant) Mother– T. V. Lakshmi (teacher) |
| Siblings | Brother– Praveen Sister(s)– She has four sisters out of which two are Shobha and Suma. |
| Favourites | |
| Cuisine | South Indian |
| Singer | Mohammad Rafi |
Some Lesser Known Facts About P. T. Usha
- P. T. Usha is a former Indian athlete and a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha. She has brought many laurels to India with her various athletic competitions at the national and international levels.
- She was born to a poor family. She was brought up in Thikkoti, Kerala. She once fell ill in her childhood, her family was not able to provide her with better treatment after which she became very weak. [8]
- Since childhood, she was inclined towards sports. She loved to run around and jump over fences while playing with her siblings and friends.
- In an interview, P. T. Usha shared the meaning behind her name ‘Pilavullakandi Thekkeraparambil Usha.’ She said,
- When she was in school, her PT teacher asked her to participate in the school’s athletic competition. She agreed to it and won her first event against her senior (who was in class 7 and was a sub-district champion). She then started practising running and participated in various athletic competitions at her school.
- In 1976, while she was participating in one such competition, the Indian athletics coach O. M. Nambiar spotted her and decided to start her professional training in athletics. During an interview, while talking about the same, Nambiar said,
- In the same year, a sports school for women was started by the Kerala State Government in Kannur, Kerala. She then joined the school and started her training in athletics under her coach O. M. Nambiar. She was studying in class 8 at that time. Later, the Kerala Government awarded her a scholarship of Rs 250 pm for her outstanding performance in athletics.
- In 1979, she started gaining popularity after winning the individual championship at the National School Games. During an interview, Usha shared that her father always supported her and used to accompany her in the initial years of her training sessions. She said,
- In 1980, P. T. Usha bagged 4 gold medals in her first international tournament Pakistan Open National Meet at Karachi.
- A year later, she was offered an assistant job at the Indian Railways on sports quota. The Kerala Government gifted her a Standard 2000 car for her praiseworthy performance in various athletic events.
- In 1982, she won a gold medal in 200m and a bronze medal in 100m event at the World Junior Invitation Meet (now World Junior Athletics Championship) held in Seoul.
- In 1984, she qualified for the Los Angeles Olympics. She participated in the 400 metres hurdle race, but she lost the bronze medal by only 1/100th of a second. Even the announcer at the event had announced that P. T. Usha finished third. Later, he corrected himself and re-announced the results.
- Usha was disheartened by the results and was demotivated at the Los Angeles Olympics 1984. It was the then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi who sent Usha a message to motivate her. The message reads,
During an interview, she talked about not winning the Olympic medal. She said,In an interview, when her coach was asked to comment about the same, he said, - P. T. Usha then won medals in many national and international athletic competitions such as Seoul Asian Games, Seoul Olympics, and Beijing Asian Games.
- In 1987, Usha, along with the Indian author Lokesh Sharma, authored an autobiography titled ‘Golden Girl: The Autobiography of P. T. Usha.’
- In 1991, Usha got married and a year later, her son was born. She then decided to take retirement from athletics, but her husband motivated her to restart her training session.
- Usha then participated in various athletic championships and won many medals at national and international events. In an interview, Usha said that it was not easy for her to make a comeback. She said,
- Usha had a knee injury in 1995, after which decided to quit athletics. During an interview, she talked about it, she said,
- In 2000 she announced her retirement from all competitive athletic events.
- In 2002, she started an athletic training school Usha School of Athletics in Kerala. During an interview, while talking about her school, she said
- In 2017, while talking about not including the Indian athlete PU Chitra from the World Championship, Usha said,
- For the past few years, Usha has been appointed as a member of the Board of Advisors of India’s International Movement to Unite Nations, Mumbai and a committee head of the Indian Talent organization at the National Level Indian Talent Olympiad.
- She was nominated as the Dean, the Faculty of Sports Science & Physical Education of Kannur University in 2020.
- A few books have been published on the life of P. T. Usha such as ‘P.T. Usha, the Pride of India by Konark Publishers and ‘P.T. Usha by Kumkum Khanna.
- P.T. Usha has been featured on the cover of a few magazines.
- She has appeared in a few TV commercials like Kanan Devan Tea and Raidco Curry Powder.
- Many Indian sportswomen like P. V. Sindhu and Dutee Chand, considers P. T. Usha as their idol.
- Usha loves to watch films and listen to songs from Hindi and Malayalam films.
- In Kozhikode, Kerala, a road is named P. T. Usha Road.
- Usha is a dog lover and owns a few pet dogs.
- Usha was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha by the former President of India Ram Nath Kovind. She took an oath in Hindi in the Upper House on 20 July 2022.