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One of India's greatest athletes and the current Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha was honoured with the 'Lifetime Achievement' award by the Sports Journalists Federation of India ( SJF I) and Delhi Sports Journalists Association (DSJA). The ceremony took place at the National Sports Club of India in New Delhi where Usha received a medallion, a citation and a memento.
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The ceremony included Guest of Honours Rajeev Shukla, Member of Parliament - Rajya Sabha and Vice President, BCCI and former Indian shooter Jaspal Rana. PT Usha was the fifth recipient of the SJFI and DSJA 'Lifetime Achievement' award.
PT Usha receives Lifetime Achievement Award by SJFI & DSJA
Before Usha, tennis legend Vijay Amritraj, former badminton icon Prakash Padukone, Indian batting great Sunil Gavaskar and legendary sprinter Milkha Singh received the award. Speaking at the event, PT Usha expressed elation on receiving the award and shared that her attention now is on building India into a sporting powerhouse by 2036.
Usha said, "I am grateful that my career achievements are being remembered till today. During my time, we did not have all the facilities that are available with athletes in today's age - overseas training, nutrition, sports psychologist, and sports science among others. Now that I am working at IOA, our effort is to focus on the Paris Olympics. After that, we will shift our attention to fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to make India a sporting power by 2036."
Icon and a guiding spirit for the sportspersons: Rajeev Shukla on PT Usha
Rajeev Shukla, Member of Parliament - Rajya Sabha said, "PT Usha deserves the honour presented to her. She is an icon and a guiding spirit for the sportspersons in the country. Now she has been given a difficult task of administering the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), and we are confident she will be able to navigate through these waters effectively."
