PT Usha to be honored with IAAF Veteran Pin
The Athletics world body, IAAF, has decided to award former sprinter P.T. Usha with the honorary IAAF Veteran Pin owing to ‘long and meritorious service to the cause of World Athletics’. The former “queen of Indian track and field” would receive it in the opening ceremony of the 52nd IAAF Congress.
One of the greatest athletes to have come from India, Usha has been associated with the Indian athletics since 1979, and has earned quite a reputation for herself. And the Asian Athletics Association has consequently nominated her for the IAAF Veteran Pin that she would be getting in Doha on September 24.
Usha hogged the limelight in the 1985 Jakarta Asian Championships where she had won six medals — five gold and one bronze. She had won the 100 m in 11.64s, 200 m in 23.05s, 400 m in 52.62s, which was an Asian record, and 400 m hurdles in 56.64s, with the final two coming in a span of 35 minutes.
Amongst Usha’s other major achievements have been the 1998 Asian Championships in Athletics, where she alongside Rachita Mistry, E. B. Shyla, and Saraswati Saha, had won the team gold in the 4 x 100 metres. In the process, they set the current national record of 44.43 s.
“Thank you IAAF for this incredible honour,” said Usha in a tweet.
Usha has also been honoured with the Arjuna Award in 1983, the Padma Shri in 1985, and the D.Litt. (Honoris causa) conferred by University of Calicut in 2018.
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