New Delhi, Oct 12 (PTI) Two-time Olympic champion decathlete Ashton Eaton on Thursday said long distance events like the Delhi Half Marathon are platforms to unearth talents who can excel at quadrennial events like the Olympics and Asian Games.

Eaton, the International Event Ambassador of this year’s Delhi Half Marathon, is excited to be a part of the World Athletics gold label road race, slated to be held on Sunday.

“I’m excited to be here. I recently ran a half marathon and I just loved running with people from all walks of life.

“These kinds of events are the absolute catalysts for finding talent and I think inspiring generations. And sometimes you don’t even see the benefit of these mass participative events until one has gone on to perform well,” Eaton said here at a promotional event.

“Just wait until you hear a young kid say that he or she is successful because of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon. So, these types of events have a lot of benefits.” Eaton, the only athlete to have exceeded 9,000 points twice in a decathlon event, also said he always wanted to travel to India.

“I love experiencing the world and learning about different cultures, and India has been a place I’ve always wanted to visit for an extremely long time.

“It’s been such a bastion on our planet and has a rich culture. I have already experienced the food, the traffic and the culture. Hopefully, I can see a lot more,” the American said.

The Delhi Half Marathon will be flagged off from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday.

Source: PTI News