Decathlete Daniel O’Brien named event ambassador for 2010
version.
Organisers of Mumbai Marathon announced a triple whammy on Thursday. Not only has Daniel O’Brien, one of world’s greatest decathletes, been roped in as the event ambassador, the 2010 version will also see the arrival of ‘Marathon Flame’ from the city of Marathon in Greece — making Mumbai the first city outside Europe to receive this honour.
And to top it all, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the international governing body for athletics, has upgraded 2010 Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon from silver label to gold.
Announcing this in a news conference at a city hotel on Thursday, Anil Singh, MD of Procam International, the promoters of the event, said “the Marathon Flame will arrive on Saturday night via a special Air India flight.
“The flame will be borne in a four-foot long, four-pound lantern by Maria Polyzou. The ex-Marathon champion, who still holds the Greek national record, will be representing the City of Marathon in Mumbai,” he said.
The arrival of the flame will mark the beginning of the event which will culminate in the January 17 race.
On Sunday, the flame will be handed over to the Mayor of Mumbai, who will then light a torch and initiate a relay run by prominent personalities including Dhanraj Pillay, Viren Rasquinha, Kiran
More and Vinod Kambli among others. It will eventually arrive at the Hutatma Chowk, where another, specially erected 15-foot high torch will be lit. This will stay on till the end of the Marathon on January 17.
O’Brien’s association with the event lends it considerable gravitas. The African-American athlete of Finnish origin is an Olympic gold medalist and three-time world champion.
The 2010 event has already received massive response with over 38,000 participants registering for the race, making it Asia’s biggest marathon.
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