Olympian Nastia Liukin Named Indy 500 Grand Marshal

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced today that U.S. Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin, the individual all-around gold-medalist in the 2008 Beijing games, will serve as the honorary Grand Marshal of the Indianapolis 500 on May 24.

In addition to riding along on a parade lap before the start of the race, Liukin—who is currently paired with Derek Hough as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars—will walk the Indy 500 Red Carpet and make guest appearances at the 500 Festival Parade and Snake Pit Ball.

“I have very fond memories of competing and performing in Indianapolis, and I will actually be back again in August for the P&G Gymnastics Championships,” Liukin said in a statement released by the IMS. “I’m really honored to be the Grand Marshal for this year’s Indianapolis 500. It will be so exciting to witness ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’—I can’t wait!”