Usha missed bronze by 1/100th of a second in 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. She created new Asian Games record in all the events participated during that year. Popularly known as Payyoli Express, Usha was neither the product of any academy or of any sports school.
She was the first Indian woman and the fifth Indian to reach the final of an Olympic event, by winning 400m hurdles semifinal. With her proud visage and toothy smile, Usha still remains as one of the greatest athletes India has ever produced.
PRIZES AND RECOGNITIONS
# Recipient of Arjuna Award ,1984.
# Adjudged as the greatest women athlete, in 1985 Jakarta Asian Athletic Meet.
# Padma Sree in 1984.
# Best Athlete of the year Award from India Government in 1984,/85,/86,/87, and 89.
# In 1986 Seoul Asian Games, won the Adidas Golden Shoe Award
for the best athlete by the Asian Amateur Athletics Association,
Seoul Asian Games, 1986.
# 33 medals including 13 golds in Asian Games and Asian Championships.
# Won a total of 102 medals at National and International meets during
her career.
# Won 1 gold and 2 silver at the 1999 Saf Games held at Kathmandu.
# Thirty International Awards, for her excellence in Athletics.
# In recognition of her achievements, a road at Payyoli,her home town,
is named after her.
# The Kerala Government has also set up a "PT Usha Sports Council"
at Central Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram.
# Kerala Sports Journalists Award for the year 1999.
HER ACHIEVEMENTS
* National Record at State athletic meet at Kottayam, 1977.
* She captured the limelight as a junior athlete in National Inter
State meet at Kollam, 1978.
* Selected to National Squad for the 18th Pakistan National Games in Karachi, 1980.
* Selected to the Moscow Olympics, 1980.
* First Keralite and first Indian woman to reach the final of an Olympic event.
* Youngest Indian sprinter to compete in the quadrennial sporting extravaganza in Moscow Olympics. She was past 16 then.
* Participated in 1982 Delhi Asiad and won the first medal of the games.
* In 1983 Asian Track and Field Meet (re-christened as the Asian championship) at Kuwait, Usha tried out the 400m for the first time.
She emerged successful in the one- lapper at an international arena
for the first time.
* Her effort of 55.54 seconds in LosAngeles was a record since this was
the first time, 400m hurdles was conducted in the womens section.
* Usha gathered 5 gold medals and one bronze in 1985, at the Jakarta
Asian Athletic meet.
* Won four golds in 1986, Seoul Asian games, claiming for herself the
title of Asia's sprint queen.
* Following her marriage in 1991, she quit the scene for a while, but
came back in1993 ,after 3 years of hibernation.
* Participated in Olympic games from 1980, except on 1992, Barcelona Olympics.
* She last participated in Atlanta Olympics , 1996.
