Olympic champion and team ELEY pistol shooter Anna Korakaki is to become the first woman in history to start the Olympic torch relay ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Greek Olympic committee announced Thursday that it had unanimously picked Korakaki to begin the torch relay in what the committee president Spyros Capralos called a “historic” moment.

The flame-lighting ceremony is held in Ancient Olympia and will start on March 12th. Following an eight-day leg across Greece, the flame will then be handed over to Tokyo officials. This is during a ceremony which takes place at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens.

Similarly, the last torchbearer on the Greek leg will also be a Greek female medalist. Katerina Stefanidi, who won pole vault gold in Rio 2016, will be passed the torch at its final stop.

Then, the Olympic flame will then be transported by a special aircraft from Greece to Japan. On arrival on March 20th, the torch will continue its journey around the country beginning in Tohoku.

Speaking of the honor, Anna said;

“Extremely honoured, extremely moved! Today the Hellenic Olympic committee announced I will have be the first torchbearer for the Tokyo Olympics on March 12!”

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O αθλητισμός συνεχίζει να μου χαρίζει τόσο μεγάλες συγκινήσεις! Σήμερα, μου ανακοινώθηκε επίσημα πως στις 12 Μαρτίου θα είμαι η πρώτη λαμπαδηδρόμος στην τελετή αφής της Ολυμπιακής Φλόγας για τους Ολυμπιακούς Αγώνες «Τόκιο 2020». Μία εβδομάδα αργότερα, η @stefanidi_katerina θα είναι η τελευταία λαμπαδηδρόμος που παραδίδει τη Φλόγα. Ευχαριστώ την Ολομέλεια της Ελληνικής Ολυμπιακής Επιτροπής για την τεράστια τιμή, διότι για πρώτη φορά στην ιστορία, μία γυναίκα στη χώρα μας θα μεταφέρει πρώτη το Ολυμπιακό Φως από την Αρχαία Ολυμπία, πριν ξεκινήσει το μεγάλο του ταξίδι σε όλο τον κόσμο, για να φωτίσει στο Ολυμπιακό στάδιο και την έναρξη των ΧXII Ολυμπιακών Αγώνων στο Τόκιο!🕊 / Extremely honoured, extremely moved! Today the @hellenic_olympic_committee announced I will have the honor to be the first torchbearer for @tokyo2020 Olympics on March 12! A week later, @stefanidi_katerina will deliver the torch as the last torchbearer. What a GREAT HONOR that is, since it's the first time in history a woman carries the Olympic Torch from Ancient Olympia, where its journey around the world begins, till it reaches the Tokyo Olympic Stadium on July 24th for the XXII Olympiad!✨ #thankful #olympictorch #torch #olympics #greece #tokyo2020

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Back in 2016 at the Rio Olympics Games, ELEY sponsored shooter Anna Korakaki won a gold medal in the 25m pistol discipline using ELEY tenex, and a bronze medal in the 10m air event.