P T Usha missed winning a bronze at the 1984 Olympics by one hundredth of a second. But she has not given up.
At 42, she is still aiming to strike gold. Her target is the 2012 Olympics and her means to achieve it are students at her training school in Kerala.
Her five-year-old Usha Training School of Athletics trains girls between the age of 11 and 13 and that too for free.
Close watch
As a trainer, Usha watches every step, counts every second and corrects every mistake of her students.
"I came close to the medal by just running on the sea shores and railway tracks. I did not have international facilities. If athletes get all the facilities they need in their age, they will definitely win," she said.
So far 31 girls have completed training. "I am attending as many tournaments as I can. I went to Doha in 2006. Surely I will get gold at the Olympics," said Tindulika, runner.
But there is still someone on whom Usha's reputation does not seem to have quite worked, her 15-year-old son. "Ujjwal has good talent but he is not showing any interest. He likes cricket,'' she added.
The fastest Indian woman at the Olympics says her school is collecting funds to provide a synthetic track and a state-of-the-art gym.
P T Usha dreams big for her students
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