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Picture Credit: Twitter

Former athlete PT Usha on Wednesday took oath as a Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha). The former track and field athlete was nominated to the Upper House by the government on July 6 along with music composer Ilaiyaraaja, philanthropist Veerendra Heggade and film director K.V. Vijayendra Prasad. Usha took oath in Hindi. Notably, the former athlete was nominated by the Narendra Modi-led government to the Rajya Sabha.

The 58-year-old shared the video of her taking oath and wrote “Grateful to God” in the caption of the post.

PT Usha, who is an established personality in the field of sports, comes from a small village in Kozhikode district in Kerala. The 58-year-old is an inspiration for many young girls who dream to make a career in sports.

She is popularly known as the Payyoli Express as has represented the country and won medals at various international sporting events, including the World Junior Invitational Meet, Asian Championships, and Asian Games. Usha has set and broken many national and Asian records during her career.

In the 1984 Olympics, Usha missed on winning India's first medal in track and field in a photo-finish as she stood fourth in women's 400M hurdles and lost the Bronze medal by 1/100 second. Post-retirement, she started the Usha School of Athletics, which offers world-class facilities to talented youngsters.

Usha, a recipient of the Arjuna award and the Padma Shri, was on Monday, accorded a grand welcome at the airport here by Delhi BJP. A BJP delegation led by Lok Sabha Member Manoj Tiwari and vice-president of party's Delhi unit Virendra Sachdeva received her at the airport.

The 58-year-old also met with Prime Minister during her stay in the Rajya Sabha. Modi shared a picture with the former athlete and wrote “Glad to have met PT Usha Ji in Parliament.”