On a different track now

Meeting again after 25 years revived warm memories among India's former sprint quartet P. T. Usha, Shiny Wilson, M. D. Valsamma and Vandana Rao

March 31, 2010 04:45 pm | Updated 04:45 pm IST

FAB FOUR P.T.Usha, Shinay Wilson. M.D.Valsamma and Vandana Rao PHOTO: R. RAGU

FAB FOUR P.T.Usha, Shinay Wilson. M.D.Valsamma and Vandana Rao PHOTO: R. RAGU

Memories roll back to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics — sprint queen P.T. Usha missing a historic medal in the 400 m hurdles by a whisker (still, the first Indian to go so far), Shiny Abraham's (now Wilson) gritty show which took her to to the semi-final in the 800 m race (again, a first for India), and then, the quartet — Usha, Shiny, Valsamma and Vandana — making it to the summit round in the 4 x 400m relay (yet another first for the country). As one politician eloquently put it — it was “a display of India's woman power in athletics”.

India did not win a medal, but the 1984 Games was a milestone nonetheless for soon came the manifestation of that brilliance at the 1985 Asian Track and Field meet in Jakarta and the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul with Usha and Shiny winning a flurry of gold medals. The ‘Olympics quartet' too tasted golden success at the Asian Games. All these made them household names. Now, 25 years later, when they all met, it was a unique occasion, a nostalgic moment. The Kerala Sportspersons Association made this possible in the city when it decided to celebrate International Women's Day by honouring the golden quartet as well as ace basketballer, India women's team captain and professional player Geethu Anna Jose.

Changed priorities

A quarter of a century can be a long time. None of the four athletes look anything like they did then — they were all in the under-50 kg weight category” and active sportswomen. Time has passed, interests and priorities have changed. Except for Usha, a senior officer with Southern Railway (Kozhikode) and, to an extent, Shiny (General Manager, FCI Chennai), sports has been relegated to the back burner for both Valsamma (Commercial Officer, Southern Railway, Palakkad) and Vandana (Manager, Corporation Bank, Mumbai). Yet, when the four met, the camaraderie was unmistakable, the enthusiasm undiminished. As Vandana quipped, “I felt like racing again. My memories went back to those early days.”

Their close bonding was evident from the interesting anecdotes that Valsamma and Vandana narrated. “Vandana was prone to stomach upsets on the eve of a big competition, so our search for a toilet at the venue was a priority,” recalled Valsamma. She also remembered how all of them would spy on Usha to find out what coach (O. M. Nambiar) gave her secretly after every race. “We struggled to find out what it was. We tried to influence athletes from North India to check but without success. Until one day we saw Nambiar giving Usha a slice of orange,” she said, leaving the audience in splits. Vandana talked about Shiny's culinary expertise and how all of them used to enjoy her “fish fry and kanji (gruel)” during camps and tours.

Each is a mother and career-woman but what's surprising is none talks of their offspring taking to athletics. Usha, of course, is busy with her Athletics Academy and even if her son does show shades of his illustrious mother's grit in school events, it is not clear whether his future lies in athletics. The focus is more on Usha's ambition to get an Olympic medal for India through her wards in the academy. Shiny's children have not taken to sports seriously while Valsamma's only daughter still wonders how her mother “could devote so much time to sports and win medals”. Vandana's son used to play hockey (his father is none other than hockey veteran and former India coach Joaquim Carvalho) but is now more into football.

De-linked from sports

Valsamma and Vandana are today totally de-linked from sports. “No time,” is their collective response. But all the four say in unison, “Our success was entirely because of our dedication, sincerity and hard work” — qualities that are perhaps missing among many sportspersons these days. What they did not say, but is true, is that their achievements opened new vistas of employment for several sports persons. The scenario has undergone a transformation now but if ever a treatise is written on woman power in Indian sports, the names of Usha, Shiny, Valsamma and Vandana, will have foremost mention.

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