PNN
Bhubaneswar, Sept 19: Legendary athlete PT Usha is of the opinion that athletes from a very tender age should be taught about the perils of doping menace and the coaches and sports centres in the country should conduct educational programmes regularly to teach the budding talents about the dangers associated with drug abuse.
Speaking on the sidelines of a promotional event here in the city Sunday evening, Usha stated that the drug menace cannot be weaned away easily.
“In this competitive world, everyone wants to win at any cost,” the former quarter-miler said. “Naturally, people resort to unfair means. All of them (people who dope) think that they will escape. But that is not always the case. So kids, when they start to train, they should be taught the dangers associated with doping,” she added.
Usha who missed the bronze by 1/100th of a second at the 1984 Los Angeles Games also informed that the life of a modern athlete has grown difficult by the day. “There are a lot of restrictions on food, even the medicines you take. You just can’t let your guard down, such is the nature of sport today. So an athlete has to be very careful,” pointed out Usha.
“In my era we did not have so many restrictions. Yes, the competition was tough, but I think sport was much cleaner than what it is now. Also the scientific measures to catch doping have improved tremendously. Yes, there were a few athletes about whom we had doubts, but then we could do nothing about it,” added Usha.
With Usha around, the topic naturally turned to her protégé Tintu Luka. The 27-year-old according to Usha earlier, was one of the best hopes for winning a medal at the Rio Games. But Tintu, disappointed, failing in the first round of the 800m heats. It should also be mentioned here that some of Luka’s family members had blamed Usha for the poor show.
“Like you and others, I am also unhappy,” informed Usha. “But then Olympics medals do not come easy. I am not satisfied because Tintu also failed to match her personal best at Rio. She could have definitely done better,” stated the lady who herself had won 102 international medals for the country.
But Usha is quick to point out that unless athletes get proper international exposure, medals will be hard to come by. “Tintu ran in just two international races in the build up to the Olympics,” said Usha. “That is a pity. You can train as much as you want, but there is no substitute for actual competitive running,” she signed off.
