Marathon hero feted in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Brazilians gave a hero’s welcome to Polyvios Kossivas, the Greek citizen who saved Brazilian marathoner Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima – and an Olympic medal – from a deranged spectator’s interference. Brazilians placed wreaths of flowers around Kossivas’s neck and threw rose petals before him when he arrived late on Friday for a long-awaited reunion with de Lima. «I’ve waited a long time for this. One of the main reasons I’m here is to meet Vanderlei,» he told reporters in Greek at Rio’s Antonio Carlos Jobim international airport. De Lima was leading the Olympic marathon when a disturbed ex-priest, Cornelius Horan, grabbed him. Kossivas helped Lima return to the race with about 5 kilometers remaining, and he finished third to take the bronze medal. The Brazilian Olympic Committee invited Kossivas and his family to visit Rio. He is to be the guest of honor at an Olympic ceremony tomorrow, when he is to meet de Lima. Kossivas plans, among other things, to attend a soccer game at Maracana Stadium and hopes to meet soccer legend Pele.
