Rachita Mistry: The Forgotten Hero Who Had Defeated PT Usha 6 Times

Rachita Mistry is also the name of the super mom whose athletic stories are the inspiration for new generation women athletes of India. She was the one who successfully broke the record of Indian ‘Udanpari’ PT Usha.

Laying down a benchmark in Indian athletics, Rachita Mistry is the name of the one who not only defeated PT Usha six times but also broke all records registered on her name.

Everyone is well aware of the name of India’s most successful female runner PT Usha. PT Usha, popularly known as ‘Payyoli Express’, has won medals for India at many international sports diases. But there is also one such female athlete, Rachita Mistry who had left behind PT Usha 6 times and broke her records.

14 National records with 20 international victories

Arjuna Awardee Rachita Mistry created a total number of forteen national records. She also won 20 international medals in athletics. She was the one female athlete of India who had participated in the Asiad at the tender age of fifteen. Rachita won more than 80 national medals as an athlete for India. In ‘Fitistan – Ek Fit Bharat’ Major (Retd) Surendra Punia talks about the great Indian women athlete, Rachita Mistry.

Read about PT Usha in her class book

Rachita was born in a Brahmin Panda family in Rourkela, Odisha. She says that in her childhood, she was not interested in studies and often went out to play instead of going to school. However, once while studying in school, she had to read a chapter about PT Usha in the class, in which it was written that no one ran like her in India. From here Rachita made up her mind that she would become an athlete. It was Rachita’s passion that at the age of just 15 years, she represented the country in the Beijing Asiad where she also won a silver medal.

Rachita says, “When we were in Bangalore before going to Beijing in 1990, PT Usha needed a roommate and asked me. I immediately said yes because I wanted to know what she eats, and what her schedule is like. Then I spent about 4-5 months with her.”

Defeated PT Usha after becoming a mom

After returning from Beijing, Rachita got married and then from here the pressure of paying attention to the family stopped her journey to sprint around the world for India. A year later she gave birth to a daughter. Rachita tells that for the first time in 1997 in Pune, she defeated PT Usha. And you know what, then her baby girl was just seven months old. This is why she is called a Super Mom.

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Broke PT Usha’s national record

Rachita broke all records made by PT Usha and also wanted to defeat her on the sprint ground. This was the moment she was awaiting all her life since childhood. But suddenly after things got changed drastically and then she felt that she would not be able to continue her journey of victory. Nevertheless, after marriage, she ran on the track and left PT Usha behind. After this, in the year 2004, she broke PT Usha’s national record of 11.38 seconds in 100 meters and got her best time with 11.26 seconds.