Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha

Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha (born 27 June 1964), popularly known as P. T. Usha, is an Indian track and field athlete from the state of Kerala. P. T. Usha has been associated with Indian athletics since 1979. She is regarded as one of the greatest athletes India has ever produced and is often called the "queen of Indian track and field

Her achievements are

• Set a national record at the state athletic meet at Kottayam, 1977.
• Captured the limelight as a junior athlete in the national interstate meet at Kollam, 1978.
• Participated in the Moscow Olympics, 1980.
• Became the first Indian woman to reach the final of an Olympic event.
• Became the youngest Indian sprinter, aged 16, to compete in the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
• Participated in the 1982 Delhi Asiad.
• Tried the 400m for the first time at the 1983 Asian Track and Field Meet (re-christened as the Asian championship) at Kuwait. She emerged successful in the one-lapper in an international arena for the first time.
• Achieved a record of 55.42 seconds at Los Angeles, the very first time the 400m hurdles was added to the women's athletics. This is the current Indian national record.
• Won 5 gold medals and 1 bronze in 1985, at the Jakarta Asian Athletic meet.
• Won 4 golds and 1 silver in 1986, Seoul Asian Games, claiming for herself the title of Asia's sprint queen.
• Took a break from the sports following her marriage in 1991, returning in 1993.

Participated in three Olympic Games, Moscow 1980, Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988. Member of 4 x 400 m relay squad in Atlanta 1996, but did not compete.