Utshaa Basu, Grade 11
​UWC Mahindra

In the sixth grade, I met my first person famous enough to be a household name. I have never followed sports, not a single one, yet PT Usha’s name fell over me like a hush. A feminist icon, and the first to do so many things. Now retired from competitive sports, PT Usha’s legacy remains as the first Indian sportswoman to enter an Olympics final. Born on June 27, 1964, PT Usha belonged to a low-income family living in a village named Payyoli near Calicut, Kerala. In 1976, when the Kerala government began a women’s sports division in Kannur, Usha started to training under coach OM Nambiar. She went on to win medals in track and field in interstate and college meets, going on to win the individual championship in the 1979 National School Games. She finally stepped on to the international stage at the Pakistan Open National Meet, where she won four gold medals. Her Olympic debut was at the 1980 Moscow Games, but she was at her best at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where she won the 400m hurdles heats. While she missed her chance to win India’s first track-and-field bronze in 400m hurdles, she went on to win six gold medals at the 1985 Asian Championship, setting a record for most gold medals won at a single event in the championship. Following the next year, she proceeded to score gold medals 200m, 400m, and 4X400m relay at 1986 Asian Games and a silver in the 100m.

As a child, PT Usha faced several health issues and poverty. Yet, she is now known as one of the most iconic women athletes in track and field. Her lucky break came when OM Nambiar noticed her at a sports awards ceremony: the coach stated, in an interview: “What impressed me at first sight about Usha was her lean shape and fast walking style. I knew she could become a very good sprinter”. And indeed, Usha’s immense contributions to Indian track and field have garnered her the nicknames India’s “Golden Girl,” and more significantly, “Payyoli Express,” as fast as a train! Usha’s achievements have earned her the Arjuna Award (1983) and the Padma Shri (1985), even being named as Sportsperson of the Century as well as Sportswoman of the Millennium by the Indian Olympic Association.

After her retirement, PT Usha opened the Usha School of Athletics – a nonprofit organisation to train future athletes. In 2015, she stood before us, a room full of young students as a powerful, inspiring presence. There’s the “Queen of track and field”, I thought. It is one of those hours, in my unglamorous life, that I won’t forget. I awkwardly shuffled over to her post-session, sheepishly asking if she could autograph several of the pages in my tiny blue diary. Closer, she seems less intimidating, her smile warm and her eyes kind. She still loomed over me, but she readily signed multiple pages, pen swooping with ease. I still have those pages torn out neatly and tucked away in a box. 
Bibliography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._T._Usha#Personal_life
https://www.hindustantimes.com/inspiring-lives/pt-usha-india-s-golden-girl-of-athletics/story-0z2343ZIdthFhoQJazqb4L.html