PT Usha becomes Asian Athletics Association's Athletes Commission member

Agencies
August 14, 2019

New Delhi, Aug 14: Legendary Indian sprinter PT Usha has been made a member of the Athletes Commission of the Asian Athletics Association in recognition of her stellar achievements at the continental stage.The 55-year-old Usha, who was the leading sprinter of her time in Asia, will be one of the six members of the AAA Athletes Commission, to be headed by 1992 Olympics gold medallist hammer thrower Andrey Abduvaliyev of Uzbekistan.

"I have accepted the appointment as a member of the AAA Athletes Commission. It is a great honour for me and for the country," Usha said.

The other members of the Athletes Commission are Wang Yu of China, 2012 London Olympics gold medallist triple jumper Olga Rypakova of Kazakhstan, Lee Hup Wei of Malaysia and Saad Shaddad of Saudi Arabia.

Newly-appointed AAA Secretary General A Shuggumarran congratulated Usha on her being appointed as one of the members of the AAA Athletes Commission.

"I am confident that you will bring your sound knowledge and expertise and we look forward to your continued contribution to the development and success of Asian Athletics," he said in the letter of appointment.

Usha, known as 'Payyoli Express', blazed the tracks at the Asian stage in the 1980s. She won four gold medals and one bronze in the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul. A year before, she won five gold and a bronze in the Asian Championships in Jakarta.

She missed an Olympic medal in the 1984 Games in Los Angles by a whisker as she finished fourth in women's 400m hurdles, losing the bronze by one-hundredth of a second.

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News Network
March 27,2024

IPLbettingsuicide.jpg

Bengaluru: Darshan Babu is an engineer who is fond of betting on cricket matches and has been placing major bets on Indian Premier League (IPL) games since 2021. He often borrows money after losing a bet, or to place one when he is short on funds. His 23-year-old wife, tired of the constant harassment by creditors, died by suicide.

Ranjitha was found hanging at her home in Karnataka's Chitradurga on March 18. According to the family, Darshan had racked up a debt of over Rs 1 crore.

He worked as an assistant engineer in the Minor Irrigation Department at Hosadurga and had been ensnared in the realm of IPL betting from 2021 to 2023. This took a major toll on the couple's finances. Allegedly, he had borrowed over Rs 1.5 crore to place bets after his luck ran out and he lost all his money. While he managed to return Rs 1 crore, cops say that he still has a pending loan of ₹ 84 lakh.

Ranjitha married Darshan in 2020. She realised the truth about Darshan's involvement in betting in 2021, claims her father Venkatesh.

In his complaint, Venkatesh said that his daughter was extremely distressed due to the constant harassment by moneylenders and this led to her suicide. He has also named 13 men who had allegedly lent the money.

He said that his son-in-law was lured into betting with a promise of quick money.

"He (Darshan) was not willing to get into betting, but the suspects forced him saying it was an easy way to get rich. They promised to finance his betting activities against some blank cheques as security," he said.

Cops during their investigation found a suicide note, where she detailed the harassment they faced. Darshan and Ranjitha have a two-year-old son.

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