Jennifer Ng starts Richmond torch relay
With hundreds of people lining the streets at Steveston Highway and No. 5 Road, the Richmond leg of the Olympic torch run began with a round of cheers and raucous music blaring from the Coca-Cola and RBC trucks that were part of the Olympic convoy.
Jennifer Ng was all smiles as her family watched her jog slowly down No. 5 Road, where families and residents camped out on the sidewalk to watch and cheer, many showing their Canadian pride by waving flags and other patriotic symbols.
And just like that, it was over, but residents walked away feeling connected to the Olympics after catching a glimpse of the very flame that Richmond's Rick Hansen will use to light the cauldron at Minoru Park later today.
One of the torchbearers Tuesday was Mary Gazetas, columnist for The Richmond Review. Gazetas said she was overwhelmed by the experience, and the national pride displayed by the people who waited patiently on the streets for an all-too-brief glimpse of the torch.
“Without sounding trite, it was amazing. I was really not 100 per cent prepared for the spirit of people, out on the streets,” she said. “They told us we’d be taken away with the beauty of the flame. I gotta tell ya, it was beautiful. I was like a little kid.”
For about 10 minutes prior to the run, Gazetas posed with families and young children, letting them hold the Olympic torch in their hands.
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