P. T. Usha (Indian Former Athlete) Biography

Quick Info

Profession	Former Athlete, Nominated Member of Rajya Sabha
Nationality	Indian
Date of Birth	27/06/1964
Age	61 years
Birthplace	Koothali, Kerala

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Bio/Wiki

Full name	Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha
Nicknames	Payyoli Express Golden Girl Queen of Indian Track and Field Udanpari

Physical Stats & More

Height	170 cm
Eye Color	Black
Hair Color	Black

Educational Qualification(s)

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

Relationships & More

Marital Status

Married

Marriage Date

25/04/1991

Family

Husband

V Srinivasan (inspector at the Central Industrial Security Force and former national kabaddi player)

Children

Dr Vignesh V Ujjwal (sports medicine expert)

Parents

Father	E.P.M. Paithal (cloth merchant)
Mother	T. V. Lakshmi (teacher)

Siblings

Praveen
Shobha, Suma and two others
Shobha
Suma

Career

Coach/Mentor

O. M. Nambiar

Profession(s)

Former Athlete, Nominated Member of Rajya Sabha

International Debut

Pakistan Open National Meet at Karachi (1980)

Medal(s)

Gold	National Inter-State Meet held in Kollam, Kerala in 100 metres event (1978) XXV National Games in Hyderabad in 100 metres event (1979) Asian Championship held in Kuwait City, Kuwait in 400 metres event (1983) Asian Championship held in Jakarta, Indonesia in 100 metres event (1985) 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 4×400 metres relay event (1986) Asian Championship held in Singapore in 400 metres event (1987) Asian Championship held in Singapore in 4×400 metres relay event (1987) Asian Championship held in New Delhi, India in 100 metres event (1989) Asian Championship in Fukuoka, Japan in 4×100 metres relay event (1998)
Silver	Asian Games held in New Delhi, India in 100 metres event (1982) Asian Games held in New Delhi, India in 200 metres event (1982) Asian Championship held in Kuwait City, Kuwait in 200 metres event (1983) Asian Games held in Seoul, South Korea in 100 metres event (1986) Asian Championship held in Singapore in 100 metres event (1987) Asian Championship held in Singapore in 4×100 metres relay event (1987) Asian Championship held in New Delhi, India in 100 metres event (1989) 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 (1990) Asian Games held in Hiroshima, Japan in 4×100 metres relay event (1994) Asian Championship in Fukuoka, Japan in 4×100 metres relay event (1998) Asian Championship in Fukuoka, Japan in 4×400 metres relay event (1998)
Bronze	Asian Championship held in Jakarta, Indonesia in 4×100 metres relay event (1985) Asian Championship in Fukuoka, Japan in 200 metres event (1998) Asian Championship in Fukuoka, Japan in 400 metres event (1998)
Other Notable Events	Finished 5th in the Olympic Games held in Moscow, Russia in 100 metres event (1980) Finished 7th in the Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, USA in 4×100 metres hurdles event (1984) 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 (1985) Finished 7th in the Olympic Games held in Seoul, South Korea in 400 metres hurdles event (1988) Finished 4th in the Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, USA in 400 metres hurdles event (1984)

Records

Asian Records	55.42 seconds record in 400 metres hurdles event in Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, USA (1984) 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 record 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, Australia (1985)
Asian Games Records	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 Korea (1986)
National Records	11.8 seconds in the 100 metres and 24.6 seconds in the 200 metres events in the senior inter-state meet in Bangalore (1981) 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 (1983) 44.43 seconds record in 4 x 100 metres relay event in Asian Championship held in Fukuoka, Japan (1998)

Awards

Padma Shri (1985)
Arjuna Award (1984)

Other

Retired in 1999
Founded Usha School of Athletics near Kozhikode, Kerala
Elected as President of Indian Olympic Association in 2022 (first woman president in its 95-year history)

Favourites

Cuisine	South Indian
Singer	Mohammad Rafi

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. P. T. Usha is a former Indian athlete and a member of the Rajya Sabha.
2. She was born in Thikkoti, Kerala, to a poor family.
3. Due to inadequate treatment, she fell seriously ill in her childhood.
4. Since she was young, Usha had an inclination towards sports, especially running and jumping.
5. Her full name, Pilavullakandi Thekkeraparambil Usha, has a significant tie to a tree and her residence.
6. Usha's athletic journey began when her PT teacher motivated her to compete in school sports.
7. Coach O. M. Nambiar discovered her talent in 1976 and became her trainer.
8. For professional training, she enrolled at the Kerala State Government's sports school for women in Kannur.
9. In 1980, she clinched 4 gold medals at the Pakistan Open National Meet, marking her international debut.
10. Throughout her career, she has won medals at various national and international competitions.
11. Post-retirement, she established the Usha School of Athletics in Kerala.
12. Usha has been honored with several awards for her outstanding contributions to athletics.
13. She penned her autobiography named 'Golden Girl: The Autobiography of P. T. Usha.'
14. Usha actively promotes sports and guides young athletes in India.
15. She serves as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha and leads parliamentary sessions.
16. P. T. Usha is a role model for numerous Indian female athletes with her achievements.
17. Apart from her sporting pursuits, Usha is known for her love of pet dogs.
18. Her full name, Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha, has a significant tie to a tree and her residence.
19. She was the first Indian woman to compete in the Olympics (1980) and the first Indian woman to reach an Olympic athletics final (1984).

P. T. Usha Former Athlete, Nominated Member of Rajya Sabha Indian Koothali, Kerala