Many people have carried the Olympic torch. And many others will do so before it reaches its final destination in Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games. But very few of them have been (or likely to be) like Wang Qihong.

The 32-year-old gymnast-turned coach of the Shenzhen team will run the final stage of the torch relay in the city on an artificial limb tomorrow.

Wang started her career as a gymnast at the age of eight, and won her first gold medal in a national competition at the age of 17.

But unfortunately soon after, she was diagnosed with bone cancer, and her right leg amputated. "I felt like having traveled for many years to reach my dream destination only to suddenly leave without even casting a glance at it," she recalled. It was Wang's experience as an athlete with the highest level of training that helped her pull through the most difficult time of her life.

"I am really happy and feel honored," Wang said over the phone yesterday. "If the Olympics were to be held in another country this year, it is almost certain that I would not have become one of the torchbearers. I think only athletes who have participated in the Olympics or those who have made great contributions to sport would have been accorded such an honor," she said.

Altogether 206 athletes, public servants, celebrities, students and expatriates will carry the torch on its 40-km journey in Shenzhen, a city in Guangdong province and China's first special economic zone.

The torch will pass the city's landmarks and well-known tourist attractions such as the Trailblazing Ox sculpture in front of the old government complex, Window of the World, Mangrove Nature Reserve, Diwang Mansion and Deng Xiaoping's portrait near Shenzhen Grand Theater. The entire stretch will take 9 to 10 hours to cover, after which the torch will travel to the neighboring city of Huizhou.

Xiao Junfeng, gymnastics gold medalist at the 2000 Sydney Games, will be the first to carry the torch on the fifth leg of the relay on the Chinese mainland from Shenzhen's Citizen's Center, according to the Shenzhen Olympic Torch Relay Organizing Committee. And Wang will run the final stage to the Shenzhen Stadium.

"It is very common for an athlete to continue training even while undergoing treatment for an injury. This helps the athlete endure a lot of pain and pressure. It makes him or her more tenacious. It taught me to accept reality and think about how to cope with it," Wang said.

Her raw grit and determination not only made her overcome all odds, but also helped her contribute to sport in a great way. As a coach, Wang has trained many excellent gymnasts for the national team. Two of her students, Lu Yingna and Hu Mei, even made it to the final at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Wang hopes people would find the same joy and happiness she found in sport when they see her carrying the Olympic torch. She wants people, especially the physically challenged, to join her in the fight against odds and learn to enjoy life.

(China Daily 05/07/2008 page12)