Best Olympic Moments No.9: A 1/100th second loss, a bad diet - The story of PT Usha's missed glory

PT Usha missed out on a chance to win an individual medal in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics in the 400m hurdle race by a mere 1/100th of a second. But, that moment is considered glorious in Indian sporting history.

PT Usha in action (Image credit: PT Usha Twitter)
By Siddharth vishwanathan | Jun 25, 2021 | 4 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

1/100th of a second. That is the definition of the barest of margins. For India, this barest of margins has been their ultimate heartbreak in the Olympic games. In 1960, Milkha Singh missed out on a chance to secure an individual medal for India in the 400m race. 24 years later, India would experience heartbreak. It would be another missed opportunity and heart-shattering, considering that the athlete who was on the cusp of history was one of the best at that time.

Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha or PT Usha was born to be one of the best athletes in that period. In a prize distribution ceremony, Usha was noticed by athletics coach OM Nambiar that it as her fast walking style that made her a unique individual. From the very beginning, Usha had already acquired a lot of success. At the senior inter-state meet in Bangalore in 1981, Usha set national records in both 100m and 200m.

Usha secured silver medals in 100 m and 200 m during the 1982 Asiad in New Delhi. At the 1983 Open National Championships in Jamshedpur, she broke the 200m national record. But, Usha added a new dimension to her skillset. In addition to 100m, 200m, she also set a new national record in 400m. At the Asian Championships in Kuwait City the same year, she won gold in 400 m.

PT Usha builds up good momentum ahead of 1984 Los Angeles Olympics

Usha was already in the prime of her form heading into the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Her dominance in the 100m, 200m and 400m heading into the games was marvelous. The high expectations made Usha a medal contender after 32 years. In 1952, KD Jadhav had secured bronze in wrestling in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

She had past experiences of hurt to ensure that her focus in 1984 would simply be on one event. Despite a good show in the 100 and 200m race, Usha had not performed well in those events in the Moscow World Championships. Learning from that experience, PT Usha decided to give it her all in the 400m in 1984.

The early signs were superb. Usha clocked 55.7 seconds to beat American top sprinter Judi Brown in the pre-Olympics trial. At the Games, she clocked 56.81 seconds in the heats and 55.54 s in the semi-final, setting a new Commonwealth record to enter the final.

PT Usha and her shattered dreams

Usha was now on the cusp of something remarkable. The hurt that Milkha Singh had in the 1960 Rome Olympics was now about to be wiped out. But, two bad things happened for Usha. The Indian sprinter’s first start had given her tremendous momentum. Unfortunately, one of the athletes had a false start and that is why the race had to restart.

The main factor was the diet. Usha had not gotten accustomed to the American food served there. Served baked potatoes or half-boiled chicken with soya sauce and other typical American food, Usha had to keep herself on a diet of porridge and pickle. This would be a crucial factor in the race.

After the restart, Usha was slow off the blocks but recovered well and on the turn, was part of the leading pack of runners. As many as five runners were in the mix for a medal and PT Usha matched Cristieana Cojocaru stride for stride. Usha could have secured the medal, but Cojocaru played a smart move. The Romanian made that decisive head dip in a photo finish. But, that dip resulted in her being ahead by 1/100th of a second.

Crucially, when there were just 35 meters left, Usha had lost strength as her diet did not give her sustained amount of energy. That allowed the other athletes to close the gap to her.

India cheers PT Usha

The loss in Los Angeles was hard to stomach for Usha. However, she got a message from Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who called her the nation’s daughter. In an interview with Times of India, PT Usha opened up on that message. “Usha, my daughter, you did very well for the country. Don’t worry, try harder next time, we are all with you.’ That gesture really lifted me,” she said.

But, she regrets the diet that she had to undertake. The lack of facilities highlighted the major problem with Indian sports when it was undergoing a decline.

“We would jealously look at the athletes from other countries enjoying fabulous amenities; they had the latest equipment at their disposal. We wondered if we too would one day have access to such facilities. No one had told us that in LA we would get only American food. I had no choice but to eat rice porridge without any nutrition supplement, and that definitely affected my performance in the last 35 meters of my event since I couldn’t sustain the energy level,” Usha rued in an interview with Equator Line Magazine.

PT Usha continues to set the mark

 In the 1985 Jakarta Asian Championships, Usha won six medals. This included five gold and one bronze. She won the 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 400 meter hurdles. Her fifth gold came in 4 x 400 m relay, and a final bronze in 4 x 100 meters. After securing silver in the 1986 Seoul Asian Games, Usha pondered retiring from athletics.

But, it took some convincing from her husband to ensure that she continued carrying the torch for Indian athletics.

But, after Milkha Singh, PT Usha became an epitome of a glorious missed opportunity. Usha was still hailed a hero despite not securing a medal. But, for close to 365 meters, Usha had kept the flag flying high and was on the cusp of glory. But, poor infrastructure and lack of basic amenities in that period was another factor which robbed a player of a medal. Nevertheless, Usha would etch her name as one of the legendary figures of Indian sports.