Los Angeles, 6th of August, 1984
The 6th of August 1984 was the day when we understood the importance of ‘ the 100th of a second ‘. A period of time which is much shorter than a blink of an eye was the difference between celebrations and agony as Cristieana Cojucaro of Romania edged out India’s PT Usha to secure a bronze medal in the Final of the Women’s 400 m hurdles at the Los Angeles Olympics. The 20 year old PT Usha had won the Semi Finals and was expected to be on the podium. But she was denied by some merciless technology. It was real heartbreak for PT Usha and India.
Time : A Commodity of Immense Value
The sharing of the Gold in the High Jump event at the recent Olympic Games in Tokyo, set me thinking. Considering an absolutely negligible difference between Cojucaro and PT Usha, the bronze medal could have been shared too. It might have been just. But then in competitions which finish in seconds the 100th of a second matters too and the ability to get ahead of your competitor by that minuscule a margin has to be rewarded. Time is therefore a very powerful commodity and even a 100th of a second of it has immense value.
PT Usha : Another Feather in her Cap
PT Usha – First woman President of the IOA : photo courtesy The Tribune
The 100th of a Second loss notwithstanding, PT Usha on that day inspired a generation of sportspersons in the country and continued to dominate athletics nationally as well as in Asia. She remained associated with sports in the country and after being India’s first woman athlete to compete in an Olympic Final, she has secured another first to her name. She has been elected unopposed to the post of the President of the Indian Olympic Association ( IOA ), being the first woman to do so. A celebrated athlete has a job cut out and without doubt she would be up to the challenge.
Nawal El Moutawakel : A Great Athlete
The 6th of August 1984 was also witness to the crowning glory of Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco. The 22 year old was a surprise winner of the Gold in the Women’s 400 m hurdles and created history for Morocco. The young athlete had just lost her father and mentor and was determined to win and so she did. However another tragedy struck Nawal, when she lost her University teammates in a plane crash on the night of 25th November 1985. Losing her father and then her friends, coupled with a persistent knee injury, Nawal retired from the sport aged just 25, three years lost her a Olympic success.
Nawal El Moutawakel : Making her country proud
An Administrator
Time had not been easy on Nawal and the bright African talent called it quits even before she could defend her Olympic Title. However she somehow managed to stay associated with the sport and handled key decision-making roles . She became the Minister of Sports in Morocco and then had the honour of being the first Arab woman to preside over high-ranked managerial positions and administrate in World Athletics and the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ).
How Time scripted the destinies of two amazing athletes who eventually ended up handling critical positions in the World of Sport, is truly inspirational.
Lets be wary of Time. It is unforgiving and difficult to befriend….use it wisely.
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