Olympian P T Usha during the girls’ athletics talent identification 2026, held at Mangala stadium in Mangaluru.
Credit: DH Photo
Mangaluru: Renowned athlete and Olympian P T Usha urged parents to encourage girl children to showcase their talent in sports. She said the need of the hour is to promote, identify and nurture talent at the grassroots level.
P T Usha, founder of the Usha School of Athletics, in association with the Infosys Foundation and the GoSports Foundation, held a girls’ athletics talent identification camp at Mangala Stadium in Mangaluru on Sunday.
As part of the “Gear for Gold” programme, P T Usha, along with her team, was in the city to identify young talent. Similar girls’ athletics talent identification events will be held in Madurai on January 31 and in Vijayawada on February 7. Selected athletes from Mangaluru, Madurai and Vijayawada will participate in the final round of selection at the Usha School of Athletics in Kinalur, Kerala, in February. The final selected girl students will undergo a residential training camp at the Usha School of Athletics, which could lead to potential full-time academy training, she told DH.
“I could achieve success only because of my parents’ support. In many cases, sports talent receives support only after winning medals. There is a need to nurture talent at the grassroots level so that athletes can win medals at national and international events,” Usha said.
Since its launch in October 2022, the programme has been working to strengthen India’s sporting ecosystem, one academy at a time. The focus is on building strong systems in Indian sport through academies, coaches and infrastructure, enabling early identification and consistent nurturing of talent. By strengthening academies and upskilling coaches, the programme creates an environment where athletes receive holistic support — not only in training, but also in nutrition, recovery, competition exposure and overall well-being.
In Mangaluru, around 500 young girl athletes in the age group of 11 to 14 participated in the selection trials. During the trials, athletes underwent a standardised athletics talent identification assessment to evaluate their overall athletic ability.