Thiruvananthapuram,  Nomination of P.T. Usha, often referred to as golden girl for bagging four gold medals at the Seoul Asiad in 1986, to the Rajya Sabha makes her the eighth Keralite to get the honour.

Superstar Suresh Gopi whose term ended this April, Dr K.Kasthurirangan, Dr M.S.Swaminathan, Cartoonist Abu Abraham, G.Shankara Kurup, G.Ramachandran and Sardar K.M.Panikkar are the other dignitaries who made it to the upper house recently.

Fifty-eight-year-old Usha hails from Payyoli in Kozhikode district and is presently employed with the Indian Railways. She also runs her own Usha School of Athletics at her hometown where she trains young talents.

Expressing her gratitude on receiving the honour, Usha also known as 'Payyoli Express' said her nomination would lead to a huge spurt in the sporting activities in the country. She will utilise her time in the House to that effect, the retired athlete said.