Question

Who is the first indian woman to win an asian games gold medal in 400 meter race?
1. M.D. Valsamma
2. P.T. Usha
3. Kamaljit Sandhu
4. K. Malleswari

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 3 : Kamaljit Sandhu

The correct answer is Kamaljit Sandhu.

• Kamaljit Sandhu
  • Kamaljeet Sandhu is a female Indian athlete who won a gold medal at the 1970 Bangkok Asian Games in the 400 meter race.
  • She ran the distance in 57.3 seconds.
  • She is the first Indian woman athlete to win an individual gold medal at the Asian Games.
  • She is from Punjab state in India.
  • She received the Padma Shri award in 1971.
  • In 1971, she was one of the finalists in the World University Games held at Turin, Italy, in 400 meters race.
  • She participated in the Women's 400 meter at the 1972 Munich Olympics, bowing out in the heats.
  • She was also a national-level basketball and inter-varsity hockey player.
  • She went to the 1982 Asian Games as the coach of the Indian women's sprint team.
  • She is also an alumna of Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya.

• P.T. Usha
  • Usha was remained the ‘Queen of track and field’ for almost two decades.
  • She was arguably India’s first sports icon, who was an inspiration to people across the nook and corner of India, cutting across gender, generation, and professional boundaries.
  • Fondly called the ‘Payyoli Express’ for her awesome speed, Usha became a trend-setter for women in India who took to excelling in sports.
  • She is probably the first Indian sports icon who returned to track and field after taking a hiatus from the sport following her marriage in 1991.
• M.D. Valsamma
  • Manathoor Devasia Valsamma is a retired Indian athlete.
  • She was the second Indian woman to win an individual gold medal at the Asian Games and the first to win it on Indian soil.
  • Valsamma won the gold medal in the 400 m hurdles in an Indian and Asian record time of 58.47 seconds in front of a home crowd at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the 1982 Asian Games.
  • This made her the second woman athlete to win an Asian Games gold for India, after Kamaljit Sandhu (400 metres-1974).
  • She later figured in a silver medal-winning 4 X 400 meters relay team.
  • Govt. of India conferred her the Arjuna Award in 1982 and the Padma Shri in 1983 and the G. V. Raja cash award from Kerala Government.
• K. Malleswari
  • Karnam Malleswari is a retired Indian weightlifter.
  • She is the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Olympics.
  • In 1995, she received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting honour, and in 1999, the civilian Padma Shri award.
  • Malleswari won the world title in the 54 kg division in 1994 and 1995 and placed third in 1993 and 1996.