Veteran Sprinter PT Usha elected as President of Indian Olympic Association
(The Quiver): On Sunday, The Indian Olympic Association has elected PT Usha, a legendary sprinter, as its president.
Kiren Rijiju, the cabinet minister congratulated the seasoned athlete on her new position with the IOA on social media.
Usha is regarded as one of the greatest Indian athletes of all time, but she will always be remembered for narrowly losing out on a medal in the 400-meter hurdles final at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles against Romania’s Cristieana Cojocaru.
The great sprinter will be the first athlete to have represented the nation and lead the IOA since Maharaja Yadavindra Singh, who participated in a Test match in 1934. From 1938 through 1960, Yadavindra Singh served as the third IOA president.
With 11 medals overall, including four golds at the Asian Games between 1982 and 1994, Usha is one of the most decorated Indian athletes in history.
She also won four gold medals in the Asian Games in Seoul in 1986, taking first place in the 200, 400, 400-meter hurdles, and 4×400-meter relay races. At the Asian Games in 1982 in New Delhi, Usha also took home medals in the 100- and 200-meter races.
