Question

Fill in the blanks: At the 1984 Summer Olympics, P. T. Usha narrowly missed a bronze medal by............. of a second,

• A. One-hundredth
• B. One-tenth
• C. One-thousandth
• D. One-fiftyth

Answer 1

Answer:

A. One-hundredth

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).