Torch journey ends
The Salt Lake City and County Building became the center of the world Thursday as Chris Waddell wheeled the Olympic torch through a crowd of 50,000 to light the cauldron.
Waddell, a five-time Paralympic gold medallist, said he was thrilled to be a part of the Olympic Torch Relay celebration.
“It is so cool to see how excited people are for the Games and how long they waited to see the torch. It’s been absolutely amazing to be the custodian of the flame and all it embodies, if only for a brief moment, and to be drawn into the excitement,” Waddell said. “It’s definitely one of my high points as an athlete.”
Waddell said he found out he was carrying the torch somewhere in the relay the week before the celebration, but was only told that he would light the cauldron at the City and County Building the night before.
Also accompanying the torch were figure skating gold-medallist Kristi Yamaguchi, basketball gold-medallist John Stockton and alpine skiing silver-medallist Steve Mahre.
Waddell said just being with those who accompanied him and the torch was exciting.
“Actually, exciting is an understatement. These people are my heroes. To be in company with them is a tremendous honor,” Waddell said.
As the torch passed, the crowd erupted into cheers, and after Waddell lit the cauldron, the general noise morphed into a chant of “U.S.A., U.S.A.” while many in the audience waved American flags.
The torchbearers said the people added to their experiences.
“Being with the torch was a lot of fun, and that was added to by the enthusiasm of the crowd,” Mahre said.
Yamaguchi said, “It’s an honor to carry the flame – to see the preparations and have the Games finally here. The vibrancy of the people is so exciting. This is a very special part of Salt Lake history, and it’s great to see the excitement of a city and people who are ready for great Games. Hopefully we can help bring the world together”
Christopher Archuleta of Newark, Calif., said as soon as he found out the Games would be in Utah, he knew he had to be here and he was happy to be a part of it.
“I’m very, very proud and pumped. I’m glad I got the opportunity to be here,” Archuleta said. “It’s great to see Salt Lake this happy.”
Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson said the Games are inherently spectacular, but “never have they burned brighter than in the soul of Salt Lake.”
This idea was made literal in the red, white and blue lighting of the City and County Building, and the introduction of lit Olympic rings earlier that evening on the mountains east of Salt Lake City above the University of Utah.
The torch began its journey on Nov. 19, 2001 when it was lit in Olympia, Greece.
The 2002 Olympic Torch Relay began Dec. 4 in Atlanta, Ga. and proceeded across 46 states, including for the first time, Alaska, crossing more than 13,500 miles.
It was carried by 11,500 torchbearers, all chosen by the Salt Lake Olympic Committee from 210,000 nominations received during March and April of 2001.
The flame traveled an average of 208 miles each day for 65 days with every torchbearer carrying it approximately 0.2 miles.
All through the torch’s run in Utah, people’s response has been enthusiastic, said Darren Bailey, who has followed the torch because of his job as a camera man for a local television station.
“The number of people is incredible. Everywhere the torch went there were hundreds of people lining the streets,” Bailey said. “It’s a really emotional experience for many of them because the stories of the runners are amazing. And seeing it pass by is one chance in a lifetime.”
The flame entered the Salt Lake Valley on Thursday and meandered through city streets before reaching the City and County Building at about 10:30 p.m.
Celebrations began downtown at 6:30 p.m.
Speakers at the celebration included International Olympic Committee President Jacques Roggé, SLOC President Mitt Romney and Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson.
USU Student Bryan Chamberlain, a member of the 132-member Utah Olympic Spirit Band, said, “It’s an overwhelming experience. It’s amazing. We’ve been doing a lot of events and seeing a lot of things. It’s really incredible. And while it’s hard to miss that much school, it’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. It’s been a big time commitment, but it’s finally started to pay off.
Timothy Masias of Salt Lake City is a SLOC employee who helped with security at the venue, and said it was an incredible experience to be involved in.
“This has been one of the best nights of my life,” he said. “We’ll never get the chance to see that again. I just hope that the rest of the Games goes off the way they expect them to.”
City volunteer Lindsy Bell of Sandy said, “People won’t think we’re such a crazy place. Being involved is the coolest thing. You don’t forget things like this, especially at a time like this, bringing the world together after all that we as Americans have been through recently.”
Her sister, Whittney Bell, said, “[It is] cool to be involved because I’ve never been a part of something like this. It’s definitely something I’ll tell my kids about when I have them.”
Mayor Anderson said he is excited, not relieved, that the Games are here. Although he said he is going 100 miles per hour every day, he is glad for the opportunities the Olympics will provide for residents of Utah.
“It’s exciting for the Games to be here so we can leave any nay-sayers behind and really catch the spirit of the Olympics,” Anderson said. “People have a lot to be proud of and they shouldn’t miss any of it. There are lifetime memories to be made here.”
Miranda Matakingi, a city volunteer originally from Temple View, New Zealand, said she is excited to be a part of the largest Winter Games ever.
“We get to meet heaps of people from different cultures and hear all their accents. This is the biggest event I’ve ever seen. In New Zealand, it’s a small country. We never had anything like this where the focus on the world is on us.”
Chris Waddell, a five-time paralypic gold medalist, carries the torch with the support from Kristi Yamaguchi, John Stockton and Steve Mahre. (Zak Larsen )
Chris Waddell lights the final Olympic torch in front of the Salt Lake City County Building. He hold ten medals in the Paralympics and will now be adding the torch to his awards shelf at home. (Zak Larsen )