Quotes from P. T. Usha

My dad did not want me to take up sport initially, he was worried that I would get injured.

If the mind says the injury is nothing, it will mean nothing. If the mind says competitions are nothing, it will mean nothing.

I was shocked after hearing the news of Milkha Singh's death. He was a great athlete... an inspiring personality.

When I was a trainee at Kannur Sports School at the age of 13, my coach Nambiar sir used to tell us a lot of things about Milkha Singh - his achievements, lack of nervousness on the track, and a lot of fun stories about him.

Without Nambiar sir's guidance I would not have been able to achieve what I did for the country.

In the sports hostel, I would not eat the boiled egg and would store it away in my bag. But eventually, Nambiar sir found out and gave me a yelling. There were so many eggs in my bag and they started smelling.

When I passed 7th standard, govt. of Kerala announced a separate sports school for aspiring young girls. During the selection trials, I stood first in district level as well as state level.

I was traveling from Calicut to Patiala and was tired. I got several calls and then came to know that Milkha Singh had passed away. I felt very bad because we have lost Milkha ji.

My life has actually been full of challenges and painful moments - but I tried to bury such circumstances and work with complete dedication.

At the Usha School of Athletics, our sole aim is to earn Olympic gold medals for India.

I would like to make it clear that there were no solid offers to train abroad.

May be someday a movie will be made on my life.

Athletes like Milkha Singh, Sriram Singh, T.C. Yohannan and I set our records at international meets under stringent conditions, against the stiffest competition.

I come from a middle-class family in Kozhikode, Kerala.

The country has to identify and promote raw talent. I have full faith that India will win Olympic gold in athletics sooner than later.

Misery and sorrow, I don't want to have anything to do with them. I always want to be happy and cheerful.

If I missed bronze by whisker, it was due to lack of experience.

Spare a thought for people like me who sweated it out for our moment of glory and the joy we brought for the country. I had earned my records the hard way.

I was part of the Indian contingent that went to Karachi for an invitational meet, before the Moscow Olympics of 1980 and I was taking B-Complex in liquid form, as advised by Dr. P.M.K. Nambiar, a cardiac specialist based in Kannur.

The biggest problem with the national sports awards in India is that the selection committee which the government appoints every year does not have any real powers.

Compared to our era, facilities in athletics have increased manifold. But contemporary athletes are not mentally tough. The new generation wants everything easily, but it is not possible in athletics.

After winning a medal, many athletes give up and go into oblivion, the reason being lack of encouragement.

Unlike cricket or tennis, athletics receive no money and so it remains a poor man's sport.

For one thing, I would like to see some new faces in all sports associations. Often you have the same people controlling a sport. They may change their designations or they may be controlling affairs from behind the curtain even when they don't have any role officially.