The Hindu : Sport / Athletics : Usha spells out the way

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Monday, Apr 09, 2007
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Sport - Athletics

Usha spells out the way

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: Professionally run academies could well be the answer for the quest of unearthing genuine talent in athletics in the country, feels the former track queen P.T. Usha. In a chat with The Hindu here, Usha, who was in town to inaugurate the sports complex at the Bangalore International Public School, said, "What we have lacked is a totally professional approach to sports, be it in athletics or any other discipline, and there are constraints to what the State or Union Governments or National Sports Bodies could do. It is time for private sports academies to bloom and provide a solid and professional base."

"The Payolli Express", who runs her own Usha School of Athletics, spoke with a bit of anguish about the state of athletics in the country, and she wryly observed, "There was a time I alone could get four golds for the country at Asian Meets. Now it takes four of them (relay quartet) to get just one medal. Clearly a lot more needs to be done on the ground."

Young talent

She said her academy's aim was to produce Olympic class athletes by 2012 and that was the reason she was very selective about the intake of wards.

"When we talk of talent at the grass roots, we really have to look at a very early age and our target trainees are not above 13 years. Recently, we conducted trials at Kozhikode and the response was extremely good, and over 600 turned up and we could spot about 30 to 40 with genuine potential," Usha said.

Usha said that she was happy with the fair share of meets for youngsters in the country, but the biggest challenge has been to sustain and motivate the talented ones in the right direction.

Though her school is presently based in Kerala, she might think of expanding it with a few more centres elsewhere. "But right now, I would rather ensure that the present academy gets all the international class facilities much needed for the trainees," said Usha.

The plan includes a sports medicine centre to scientifically test and evaluate the trainees. "I came up the hard way and I know what it takes to be a good athlete and I want to ensure that our trainees get all possible help to make their marks. Of course, a lot will depend on their dedication, commitment and hard work also," concluded Usha.

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