P. T. Usha

Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha (born 27 June 1964) is an Indian sports administrator, parliamentarian and retired track and field athlete. She was born in Koothali near Perambra in Kozhikode district, Kerala, and grew up in Payyoli. Usha has been associated with Indian athletics since 1979. She has won a total of four gold and seven silver medals in the Asian Games. She is often associated as the "Queen of Indian track and field". In July 2022, she was nominated as a Member of Parliament to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament. In December 2022, she was elected president of the Indian Olympic Association unopposed. That same month, she was appointed to the panel of Rajya Sabha vice-chairman to control the proceedings of the upper house during the absence of both Chairman and Deputy Chairman. Usha is the first nominated parliamentarian in history to become the vice-chairperson of the Rajya Sabha.