Did PT Usha fuel PU Chitra’s ouster from World Championships?

PU Chitra, the girl from Kerala who won the gold in the women’s 1,500m race at the 22nd Asian Athletics Championship 2017, was dropped from competing in the World Championships in London  The selection committee said that she was omitted as her performances were not up to the world standard PT Usha too supported their claim and said that Chitra's performance was not of the qualification standard

PU Chitra, the girl from Kerala who was called the ‘Queen of Asia in the mile’, was on cloud nine when she won the gold in the women’s 1,500m race at the 22nd Asian Athletics Championship 2017, held in Bhubaneswar.

The girl who was too poor to afford running shoes for practice had beaten some of the best athletes in the world. The World Championships was her next goal. 

But her hopes were dashed when the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) dropped her name from the final list. Officials of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) explained that she was omitted as her performances were not up to the world standard. 

AFI selection committee chairman Gurbachan Singh Randhawa has clarified that it was a unanimous decision to drop PU Chitra from the Indian squad for the next month's World Athletics Championships. He said that even PT Usha, Indian track and field legend and fellow Keralite, agreed to drop Chitra’s name.

An athlete can qualify for the World Championships by meeting the qualifying standards set by the international federation or by winning gold at events like the Asian Athletics Championships.

On Chitra’s ouster, Usha had said, “The AFI picked the team. I was not a part of the selection committee, and I attended the meeting as an observer. Even though Chitra had won the Asian gold, the AFI has the discretion to decide whether to include her or not in the squad.”

PT Usha, however, justified PU Chitra not being included saying that her performance was not up to the qualification mark. “The AFI has decided to send athletes only if their performance is near the qualification mark of the event. Chitra’s performance is nowhere near the qualification mark,” she said.

It is also said that the former Olympian did not fight for Chitra during the meeting when the selectors accused Chitra of being inconsistent.

“Selection committee members pointed out the inconsistency and said that Chitra's performance is not up to international standards. I had no answers. The members were also told that World Athletic Meet is not meant for mere exposure," Usha said.

Kerala sports minister A C Moideen on Saturday, July 29, stated that the court questioned the selection process of the participants to the world championship. He criticised the roles of PT Usha and Anju Bobby George in the controversy and said that Chitra is suffering the same fate of Anu Raghav who was excluded from the Rio Olympics by vested interests.