Han Ximin

    THE Shenzhen leg of the Olympic torch relay ended Thursday with the city in a festive mood as 3 million residents thronged streets to witness the historic moment.

    The climax came at around 6:05 p.m., when Wang Qihong, a Shenzhen Sports School coach who has an artificial right leg, covered the last section in her wheelchair. She was greeted with loud cheers in the final 200 meters and at around 6:10 p.m. she stood up, walked into the Shenzhen Stadium and lit the Olympic flame.

    “It is a glorious moment and lifelong memory to represent all torchbearers to pass on friendship, peace and harmony, and share the spirit of the Olympic Games through the relay,” said Wang.

    The 32-year-old started practicing rhythmic gymnastics at the age of 8 and won the national championship at 16. But she suffered bone cancer and had her right leg amputated at 17.

    “It was a proud moment for all people in Shenzhen to witness this,” she said.

    Wang Shi, president of the Shenzhen-based Vanke, a well-known real-estate company in China, was one of the high-profile torchbearers.

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    Wang scaled Mount Qomolangma in 2003, has climbed the highest peaks on seven continents and explored Antarctica and the Arctic.

    After the Olympic flame was lit, a spectacular half-hour closing ceremony began at Shenzhen Stadium.

    On a memorable day in the city's history, the flame passed the key landmarks in three districts. These included Window of the World, Diwang Mansion and the Deng Xiao-ping portrait near the Shenzhen Grand Theater.

    Flanked by Olympic marshalls in blue-and-white tracksuits and followed by police in cars and on motorcycles, 208 torchbearers, selected from different walks of life, ran the 41.6 kilometers in six hours.

    Hundreds of cheering spectators lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the torch.

    Shenzhen Party chief Liu Yupu announced the official start of the relay at 12:10 p.m. at the Citizens’ Center. The relay was postponed for four hours, leaving the central stage to Mount Qomolangma in the morning when 19 Chinese maountaineers carried the Olympic flame on its first ever ascent to the top of the world.

    “Shenzhen is honored to be the eighth city in China to relay the torch. . .and 8 million citizens will share the spirit of Olympic Games. We believe the relay will send Shenzhen’s profile to the world,” Mayor Xu Zongheng, said at the launch ceremony.

    Xiao Junfeng, the 2000 Sydney Olympic gymnastics gold medalist, was chosen to start the relay.

    “As the first runner in Shenzhen, I needed to show my best. Being part of the torch relay reminds me of the moment of winning the Olympic gold medal in Sydney. It’s a very emotional moment,” said Xiao.

    Gao Yinghui, a student from Shenzhen OCT Middle School, was the youngest of the torchbearers.

    She said she planned to use the decommissioned torch. “I will install the torch at the door of my apartment and this can encourage me to face difficulties.”

    Gao was from a single parent family and lived in a small house with her mother, who was a phone operator for a taxi company.