KOLKATA: India's first individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra was on Wednesday named as the event ambassador for the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K run, slated for Sunday.
The 40-year-old former shooter has replaced tennis ace Mary Pierce, who is "indisposed", the organisers said.
"The spirit of the event energises runners and instils faith in them. I'm excited to be a part of this event and look forward to seeing thousands of runners participate," Bindra said in a release.
The five-time Olympian is expected to arrive in the city on Friday to cheer the participants, which include reigning Commonwealth Games champion Victor Kiplangat of Uganda, Tokyo Marathon runner-up Ashete Bekere of Ethiopia and Indian duo of Srinu Bugatha and Sanjivani Jadhav.
