at the helm: Charles Borromeo with the Queen’s Baton at JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur on August 7

Jamshedpur, Aug. 11: Having measured steel city streets with the Queen’s Baton on Saturday, Charles Borromeo is all set to join the relay team in Chennai next week.

The Tamil Nadu Sports Development Authority (TNDSA) has invited the legendary athlete to participate in the prelude to the Commonwealth Games in the southern capital on August 20.

Borromeo, who blazed tracks and bagged the 800m gold in the 1982 Asian Games in Delhi, said it was a great honour to get an invite from the state where he was born. “I will be honoured to run with a select 50 sports personalities in Chennai,” he told The Telegraph.

The former athlete is leaving for Bangalore tomorrow. “I will be there for some days for my son’s admission before going to Chennai,” Borromeo, who was honoured with Arjuna Award in 1982 and Padma Shri in 1984, said.

The 52-year-old will join a Baton relay team that will boast the likes of former tennis ace Vijay Amritraj and athlete Gyanasekharan, besides other top-notch sportspersons from Tamil Nadu.

“The TNDSA is trying to rope in Amritraj for the relay. Gyanasekharan’s entry is confirmed. He and I have been selected for the final lap,” Borromeo, who represented India in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, said.

Sprinter Gyanasekharan had claimed the 100m silver and 200m gold at the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok.

Borromeo, currently a senior manager at Tata Steel sports department, had completed the last Baton lap at JRD Tata Sports Complex on August 7. “It was an emotional moment. I am glad to get a second opportunity to hold the Baton,” the bespectacled man said while sifting through a pile of official papers at his chamber at the sports complex.

The athlete, who captained the Indian team in the Asian Track and Field meet in Jakarta, is involved in training special athletes. “I have spent years on the tracks. Now, I want to do something for special children who have a knack for sports,” he said.

Borromeo is also a former national sports director of Special Olympics Bharat, a social organisation that works for the mentally challenged.