Shenzhen Party chief Wang Rong (R) and Mayor Xu Qin wave to people as they disembark with two torchbearers from a plane arriving at Shenzhen International Airport from Beijing yesterday.Cen Zhili

Torchbearer Liu Wei (L) and Fan Jingyi pose for a photo during the torch relay at Beijing University yesterday.

 

 

 

Games flame, kept in a lantern, arrives at the Civic Center yesterday. Sun Yuchen

Li Hao

SIXTY meters was a short distance but filled with excitement, said Xing Yan’an, the first of the 54 torchbearers on yesterday’s Shenzhen Universiade torch relay at Beijing University (BJU), marking the 100-day countdown to the Games and Chinese Youth Day.

Each of the 54 torchbearers covered 60 meters at the first leg of the relay.

Holding the torch, Xing set out from the Centennial Hall on the campus, which was one of the landmarks at BJU on the relay route.

“I thought I was selected to be the first torchbearer as a college student, “ said Xing after completing his 60-meter run.

Xing competed in the 2007 World Championships in Athletics in Osaka and the 4x100- meter relay in the 2008 Beijing Olympic.

He is studying for a master’s degree at the sports research department of BJU.

More than half the torchbearers were university students, which was a unique feature of the Universiade torch relay, said Yuan Chengyong, vice director of the cultural activities department of the executive office of the Games organizing committee.

Celebrities from entertainment, education and cultural circles also ran in yesterday’s torch relay.

The No. 4 torchbearer, actor Jackie Chan caused a stir on the campus.

“As a Chinese, I feel honored and proud to be a part of the torch relay of the world university sports event,” said Chan.

In front of an old building of the BJU’s Chemistry Department, Chan used his torch to light one held by Ma Qingyuan, the only disabled person in yesterday’s relay.

Ma was admitted to BJU in 2005 and his legs were later amputated later because of a tumor. “The Universiade can be better than the Olympics to encourage college students to be positive and enterprising because it is a part of our own and close to us,” Ma said.

A gold-medal winner at the 2005 Universiade in Turkey, Hu Kai, ended the relay in Beijing.

“The torch relay is a good example of the nationwide commitment to a successful Games. I’m sure we will witness extraordinary things in Shenzhen because the number of athletes will be the highest in FISU’s history,” said Stefan Bergh, vice president of the FISU.

The Games flame was kept in a special lantern and carried by a chartered flight back to Shenzhen yesterday afternoon.

The relay is scheduled to continue at Shenzhen University on May 10 and would involve 90 torchbearers.

After the relay at Shenzhen University, the torch will be taken to Guangzhou University Town on May 15.

On Aug. 10 and 11, two days before the opening of the Universiade, the relay will continue in Shenzhen, covering the downtown area and Longgang District, home to the Universiade Center and Athletes Village.