By Matthew Monks
They are among 140 New Yorkers picked to carry the Olympic Torch June 19, when its five-borough relay kicks off from Athens Square Park on 30th Avenue, Mayor Bloomberg said in Astoria last Thursday.
With a Greek population second only to Athens, which hosts the Games this summer, Astoria is the fitting start for the 34-mile relay. It will pass city landmarks such as the Brooklyn Bridge, the World Trade Center site, the United Nations and Times Square, the mayor said.
The Olympic flame, which was lit in Greece on March 25, will travel to 34 cities around the world before it returns to Athens for the opening of the Games on Aug. 13. New York is one of four U.S. cities hosting the torch, including Los Angeles, St. Louis and Atlanta.
“On behalf of 8 million New Yorkers, we are thrilled that New York City has been selected to participate in the first-ever global Olympic Torch Relay,” Bloomberg said, standing with Athens Mayor Dora Bakoyannis in Athens Square. “We are extremely proud of this diverse group that will have the honor of carrying the Olympic flame.”
Among them are Demetrois Markantonatoes, a Greek New York Police Department sergeant from Astoria who works in the 70th Precinct in Brooklyn; Boomer Esiason, former Jets and Bengals quarterback; Sean Combs, the rap star and record producer also known as “P-Diddy;” and Lily Woo, the principal of PS 130 in Manhattan.
These torchbearers, all of whom were nominated by family, friends or colleagues, were selected from a pool of 100,000 applicants for “a once in a lifetime experience,” Bloomberg said.
And it undoubtedly will be, some other torchbearers said at the conference.
“We are so proud to carry the torch for America, and also, more importantly, to carry the torch for New York City,” said Peter Westbrook, a six time Olympian and 1984 bronze medalist for fencing.
“It's something I will never forget and I promise to carry the torch proudly,” said Margaret Redden, an 18-year-old paraplegic from New Jersey.
Bloomberg said he hopes to return to Athens Square Park if New York wins its 2012 Olympic bid. If the city hosted the Games, its heart would be in the Long Island City Olympic Village, the design plans for which were unveiled last week.
New York City is one of five cities vying for the games. The International Olympic Committee will announce the winner in July 2005.
Reach reporter Matthew Monks by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
