Rio: PT Usha backs Luka, Lalita Babar and Sudha Singh

Bengaluru: She cannot say for sure whether the medal jinx would be broken, but Indian sprint legend P T Usha feels Indian athletes — especially Tintu Luka, Lalita Babar and Sudha Singh — stand a good chance of making the finals of their respective events in next month’s Olympics.
“In athletics, we cannot say who will win a medal. Participation itself is good. Tintu Luka, Lalita Babar and Sudha Singh, stand a good chance of qualifying for finals, only thing they have to do is better their performance,” she told PTI.
Usha was in the city for Shreeram Properties Grand Prix athletics meet, which was held at Sree Kanteervava Stadium here.
Tintu, Sudha and Lalita have qualified for Rio in 100 metres dash, and 3000 metres steeplechase, respectively. Usha, who finished fourth in the 400 metres hurdles at the 1984 Olympics and missed the bronze medal by one-hundredth of a second, hoped the exposure in international competitions would help Tintu strike form in Rio. Usha also said that the men’s and women’s 4×400 metres relay teams also stand a good chance of making the finals but they have to better their performances. (PTI)