WATCH: Legendary athlete PT Usha takes oath as Rajya Sabha MP, 6 facts to know about her

New Delhi: Pilavullakandi Thekkeraparambil (PT) Usha, former Olympics athlete & one of India’s most celebrated sportsperson took oath as the Rajya Sabha member on Wednesday.

The veteran athlete was nominated to the Upper House by the BJP along with music maestro Ilaiyaraaja, film director and screenwriter KV Vijayendra Prasad and philanthropist PV Heggade.

PT Usha was unable to attend Parliament on Monday for swearing-in with other new MPs. She took oath in Hindi.

Grateful to God ? pic.twitter.com/Ip7iBwAWi5

— P.T. USHA (@PTUshaOfficial) July 20, 2022

6 facts you must know about PT Usha

1) PT Usha is one of India’s most loved & celebrated athletes. She was born in a small village of Kerala’s Kozhikode district. She has been a role model for lakhs of young girls across the country who dream of making a career in sports.

2) She is famously known as ‘Payyoli Express’ owing to her swift sprinting at global athletic events. She won medals for the country at various international sporting events, including the World Junior Invitational Meet, Asian Championships, and Asian Games.

3) In 1984 Olympics, she barely missed India’s 1st medal in track and field in a photo-finish race. She came 4th in women’s 400M hurdles and lost the Bronze medal by 1/100 second.

4) During her eventful career, she bagged many medals at national & international tournaments. She has won 4 Asian gold medals & 7 silver medals.

5) After retirement, she is running Usha School of Athletics, where she nurtures & trains youngsters for world-class championships.

6) She was awarded the Padma Shri in 1985, was given received honorary doctorates from Kannur University (2000), IIT Kanpur (2017), and University of Calicut (2018).