Fill in the blanks: At the 1984 Summer Olympics, P. T. Usha narrowly missed a bronze medal by............. of a second,
AOne-hundredth
BOne-tenth
COne-thousandth
DOne-fiftyth
Answer:
A. One-hundredth
Read Explanation:
Historical Context of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics
- The 1984 Summer Olympics (Games of the XXIII Olympiad) were held in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- P. T. Usha, often referred to as the Payyoli Express, competed in the women's 400-meter hurdles.
- In the final, she clocked a time of 55.42 seconds, which set a new Asian record at the time.
The Photo Finish
- Usha finished in fourth place, missing the bronze medal by a margin of 0.01 seconds (one-hundredth of a second).
- The bronze medal was won by Cristieana Cojocaru of Romania, who finished with a time of 55.41 seconds.
- This event remains one of the closest and most discussed finishes in Indian Olympic history.
Career Impact and Achievements
- This performance made P. T. Usha the first Indian woman to reach an Olympic final in a track and field event.
- She was awarded the Padma Shri in 1985 for her outstanding contributions to athletics.
- In 2022, she became the first woman and the first sportsperson to be appointed as the President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).