– Niall Kelly reports from the Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro
TWELVE YEARS AGO, Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima held a comfortable lead as the Olympic marathon in Athens entered its final miles.
De Lima was poised to win gold — Brazil’s first in the race’s history — until Fr Neil Horan, the infamous laicised Irish priest, stepped out onto the middle of the road and bundled him towards the barriers on the side of the course.
It was, and remains, one of the most unforgettable moments in Olympic history.
De Lima recovered sufficiently to finish third and take bronze, little consolation in the circumstances, and was later awarded the Pierre de Coubertin for the outstanding sportsmanship he had shown in the situation.
Tonight, the 46-year-old took centre stage again in much happier circumstances as it fell to him to light the Olympic flame at the opening of the Rio 2016 Games.
