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P T Usha bids farewell to the track

P T Usha, who strode across the Asian tracks like a colossus for nearly two decades, Tuesday announced her retirement from international athletics.

A nagging knee injury which has kept her out of action for the last few months and her desire to spend more time with her son prompted the 36-year-old athlete to bid farewell to the track which she dominated like no Indian before her did.

"It is a painful decision but a well thought out one. Two decades is a long time and as I go, I have a bag of mixed emotions, some great moments and some bitter experiences," Usha said at a press conference here.

Usha, who not only dominated the Indian athletic scenario but was a name to reckon with in the Asian circuit, said she took the decision after realising that her knee injury would keep her away from the Asain track and field meet in Jakarta in August and the ensuing Sydney Olympic Games in mid-September.

"It is not that I am tired of sports, but not being able to recover in time has been a great disappointment. Having missed the competitive phase so far, it will be pointless to to think about coming back at this stage," she said.

Usha said she would now devote more time to her family, particularly to her son, but keep in touch with the sport by setting up an ambitious Asha School of Athletics in Koilandi, near Kozhikode to nurture and train young talent.

"I want to give back something to athletics and that is why I took the decision to set up this institute. I want more athletes to come up and perform well for the country," she said.

Usha, who thrilled the country by clinching four gold and a silver medal in the 1986 Seoul Asian Games, said her only regret during her long career was not winning a medal in the Olympic Games.

"I managed to achieve most of my goals but my biggest regret is not winning an Olympic medal", she said.

Asked whether she would continue to take part in domestic meets, she said "I don't know. May be, may be not. I may not have the same motivation any more".

She rated her fourth place finish in the 400 m hurdles in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games as the best performance in her career.

PTI