Mumbai, Dec 1: Legendary sprinter PT Usha’s debut 100m race was nothing sort of spectacular as she was erroneously disqualified for ‘false start’ before a crowd intervention led to a re-run and eventually winning gold.
Walking down memory lane, ‘Payyoli Express’ Usha told PTI in an exclusive interview how crowd support came to her rescue during her first 100m race in the 1977 National Games in Thiruvananthapuram.
She was initially thrown out of the race for ‘false start’ committed by her rivals. “When I started, (in my) first Nationals in Trivandrum in 1977, I was in U-14 section. I went for 100m because I always loved to run sprints. At the starting block, some other girl on my left false started, but the official made that (foul) in my name,” she said.
The 57-year-old Usha, the face of KFC’S latest ‘Express Pick-Up’ campaign which promises food in seven minutes on takeaway, recollected how the concerned official had erred on his part.
“And another girl on my right again false started and that also he made in my name. On the third one, he made me out.
“Lot of crowd was there and they came to the ground and went on strike saying I have not committed any foul and other girls had done the fouls. There was a re-run and I won the race. That was my start in 100m,” she reminisced.
Usha beat Harjinder Kaur of Punjab to win the race. Under current rules (since 2010), a single false start will result to disqualification of the concerned athlete.
Usha also hailed Neeraj Chopra, India’s first athletics gold medallist in Olympics.
“After a long-time Indian athletics has won the medal. Me and Milkha Singh had come close to (Olympics) medals but we missed by 1/10th and 1/100th of a second. And this year that long wait of getting a medal in athletics has ended.
“Neeraj’s gold is a motivation for all young athletes, because they now know that they can also win medals in athletics. If they do hard work or get facilities like other countries, a track and field athlete can win Olympic medal. He has shown the way.” (PTI)
