Abhinav Bindra leads Queen's baton relay
29 October 2009. Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, became the first baton-bearer of Queen's baton relay for next year's Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, during a glittering ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London.
Besides Bindra, the Indian sporting greats who participated in the relay were Kapil Dev, Milkha Singh, Olympic medallists Sushil Kumar, Vijender Singh, Karnam Malleswari and tennis star Sania Mirza.
The baton will travel across Commonwealth countries and reach India through Wagah border on June 25th and will travel in the host country to finally reach the capital New Delhi on 1st of October.
The relay marks the beginning of the 340-day journey from Buckingham Palace on Thursday.
"It is a matter of great honour to be the first runner in the historic relay. It is a dream come true. I have participated in three Commonwealth Games and it will be a great honour to be part of the Delhi Commonwealth Games," Bindra, who won gold medal during 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, said.
Bindra handed over the baton to legendary middle-distance runner Lord Sebastian Coe, who said, "It is a fabulous opportunity to showcase Delhi. indianshooting.com
