PT Usha Quick Facts
| Full Name | Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha |
| Nicknames | Payyoli Express, Golden Girl |
| Profession | Former sprinter and hurdler, sports administrator, Member of Parliament |
| Date of Birth | 27 June 1964 |
| Birthplace | Koothali, near Perambra, Kozhikode district, Kerala |
| Height | 1.71 m |
| Events | 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 400 m hurdles, relays |
| Coach | O. M. Nambiar |
| Signature Mark | 55.42 s in the 400 m hurdles (Los Angeles 1984), the Indian national record for 42 years until 2026 |
| Asian Games Medals | 4 gold, 7 silver |
| Active Years | 1976 to 2000 |
| Current Roles | President, Indian Olympic Association (since December 2022); nominated MP, Rajya Sabha (since July 2022) |
| Spouse | V. Srinivasan (married 1991; died January 2026) |
| Nationality | Indian |
Why PT Usha Matters
For a generation of Indians, PT Usha was the first proof that an athlete from a small Kerala village could beat the best in Asia and stand shoulder to shoulder with the world. Her fourth-place finish in Los Angeles became one of the most famous near-misses in Indian sport, but it also changed expectations: Indian women were no longer just taking part in Olympic finals, they were contending for medals. Her haul at the 1985 Asian Championships and the 1986 Asian Games remains one of the greatest multi-event performances by any Asian athlete. Decades later, her move into sports leadership has given her a second influence, this time on how Indian sport is run.
PT Usha Major Medals and Results
| Year | Competition | Result | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Asian Games, New Delhi | 2 silver | 100 m, 200 m |
| 1983 | Asian Championships, Kuwait City | Gold, silver | 400 m (gold), 200 m (silver) |
| 1984 | Olympic Games, Los Angeles | 4th | 400 m hurdles, 55.42 s |
| 1985 | Asian Championships, Jakarta | 5 gold, 1 bronze | 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 400 m hurdles, 4×400 m relay; 4×100 m relay bronze |
| 1986 | Asian Games, Seoul | 4 gold, 1 silver | 200 m, 400 m, 400 m hurdles, 4×400 m relay; 100 m silver |
| 1987 | Asian Championships, Singapore | 3 gold, 2 silver | 400 m, 400 m hurdles, 4×400 m relay |
| 1989 | Asian Championships, New Delhi | 4 gold, 2 silver | 200 m, 400 m, 400 m hurdles, 4×400 m relay |
| 1990 | Asian Games, Beijing | 3 silver | 400 m, 4×100 m relay, 4×400 m relay |
| 1994 | Asian Games, Hiroshima | Silver | 4×400 m relay |
| 1998 | Asian Championships, Fukuoka | 1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze | 4×100 m relay gold in a national record of 44.43 s |
Early Life and Family
Usha was born on 27 June 1964 in Koothali, near Perambra in Kozhikode district, and grew up in the coastal town of Payyoli, which later gave her the nickname that stuck for life. Her speed was noticed early: as a young schoolgirl she beat the school’s reigning champion, who was several years older. When the Kerala government opened a sports division for women in Kannur in 1976, she earned a place among its first trainees.
In 1977 she came to the attention of coach O. M. Nambiar, who saw a natural sprinter in her lean frame and quick stride. He would guide her for most of her career and later received the Dronacharya Award and the Padma Shri for his work. Usha studied at Providence Women’s College in Kozhikode.
Breakthrough: From Junior Meets to the Asian Podium
Results came quickly under Nambiar. At the 1978 junior inter-state meet in Kollam she won six medals, four of them gold, across sprints, hurdles and the high jump. She followed that with multiple medals and meet records at the 1979 National Games, and in 1980 made her international debut at an invitation meet in Karachi, winning four golds. The same year, aged just 16, she ran the 100 m at the Moscow Olympics. Two years later she won silver in both the 100 m and 200 m at the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi, announcing herself as Asia’s next sprint star.
PT Usha Career Journey
Los Angeles 1984: The One-Hundredth of a Second
After a disappointing outing in the sprints at the 1983 World Championships, Usha switched her focus to the 400 m hurdles. At the Los Angeles Olympics she set a Commonwealth record in the semi-final and reached the final, where a false start by another runner forced a restart. She was slower off the blocks the second time and finished fourth in 55.42 seconds, missing the bronze by just 0.01 s. That time stood as the Indian national record for 42 years, until Vithya Ramraj ran 54.75 s at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. Usha, attending as IOA President, publicly congratulated her.
Jakarta 1985 and Seoul 1986: Asia’s Fastest Woman
Usha’s peak came over the next two years. At the 1985 Asian Championships in Jakarta she won five golds (100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 400 m hurdles and the 4×400 m relay) plus a relay bronze, a record haul for a single athlete at one edition of the championships. Her 400 m and 400 m hurdles wins came within roughly half an hour of each other. Weeks later she ran 51.61 s in the 400 m at the World Cup in Canberra. At the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul she won four golds, all in Games-record times, and a silver in the 100 m.
Comeback and Final Years
She kept winning Asian titles through 1987 and 1989, and continued to race for India after marriage and motherhood. At the 1998 Asian Championships in Fukuoka, at 34, she helped India’s 4×100 m relay team win gold in a national record of 44.43 seconds and added individual bronzes in the 200 m and 400 m. She retired in 2000 after more than two decades at the top.
PT Usha Records and Milestones
- 400 m hurdles: 55.42 s (Los Angeles 1984), the Indian national record from 1984 until Vithya Ramraj broke it with 54.75 s on 28 September 2026.
- 400 m: 51.61 s (Canberra 1985); 200 m: 23.05 s; 100 m: 11.39 s (1985).
- Five golds at a single Asian Championships (Jakarta 1985), a record for one athlete at one edition.
- Four golds at the 1986 Asian Games, all in Games-record times.
- 23 medals at the Asian Championships, 14 of them gold, plus 11 Asian Games medals.
- Represented India at Olympic Games from Moscow 1980 to Atlanta 1996.
PT Usha Awards and Honours
- Arjuna Award (1984)
- Padma Shri (1985)
- Honorary doctorates from Kannur University (2000), IIT Kanpur (2017), the University of Calicut (2018) and the Central University of Kerala (2023)
- IAAF (World Athletics) Veteran Pin (2019)
- Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural Athletics Federation of India awards (June 2026)
Life After Athletics: Coach, MP and IOA President
After retiring she founded the Usha School of Athletics in Kerala to train young runners, giving back to the system that produced her. In July 2022 she was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Ram Nath Kovind, and that December became the first nominated member to join the House’s panel of vice-chairpersons; she presided over the Rajya Sabha for the first time in February 2023.
In December 2022 she was elected President of the Indian Olympic Association unopposed, becoming the first woman and the first Olympian to lead the body. In January 2026 she was named chairperson of the newly reactivated National Olympic Academy of India, and in September 2026 she led the Indian delegation at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Personal Life
In 1991 Usha married V. Srinivasan, an inspector with the Central Industrial Security Force, who was a steady presence through her comeback years and later career. The couple’s son is Dr. Vignesh Ujjwal. Srinivasan died on 30 January 2026 at the age of 67.
Frequently Asked Questions About PT Usha
Why is PT Usha called the Payyoli Express?
The nickname comes from Payyoli, the town in Kozhikode district where she grew up and went to school, combined with her remarkable speed on the track.
How close did PT Usha come to an Olympic medal?
At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics she finished fourth in the 400 m hurdles in 55.42 seconds, just one-hundredth of a second behind the bronze medallist.
How many Asian Games medals has PT Usha won?
She won 11 Asian Games medals: four golds and seven silvers between 1982 and 1994, with all four golds coming at Seoul 1986.
What is PT Usha doing now?
She is President of the Indian Olympic Association, a nominated Member of the Rajya Sabha and chairperson of the National Olympic Academy of India.
