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SHENYANG, Northeast China, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Nearly a dozen of Olympic or world champions carried the Olympic torch on Thursday's relay in Shenyang, capital of China's sports powerhouse Liaoning. <p> Liu Hongtu, whose father Liu Changchun was China's first Olympian, kicked off the torch relay as the first runner in the World Garden Exposition at 8:08 a.m. local time. </p><p> "I am fulfilling my father's dream of Olympics today," said Liu. </p><p> Liu Changchun took part in the Los Angeles Olympic games in 1932 as the only Chinese athlete. He entered the 100- and 200-meter races but failed to qualify for the finals. Four years later, he competed again with some other Chinese athletes, but scored no medals either. </p><p> "Over 76 years from the Los Angeles Olympic Games at which my father represented China alone, to the Beijing Olympic Games, great changes have happened to China," said junior Liu. </p><p> Li Yuwei, the coach of moving target shooting in Liaoning, ran in the fifth place. Li was the gold medalist in the 44th world shooting championships. </p><p> Then in the sixth place was Zhuang Xiaoyan, the 1992 Barcelona Olympic judo champion. She was also a titlist in 1991 world championships. </p><p> "I am so exciting today. It seems I have won another Olympic champion at the moment," said Zhuang. </p><p> "Being able to carry the Olympic torch just likes winning the Olympic gold medal. The trouble for me now is I am pondering how to handle the torch back home as I have two daughters but only one torch," Zhuang said in joking. </p><p> Zhuang predicted that the Chinese team is capable of winning two judo golds in Beijing. </p><p> Han Xiaopeng, Turin Winter Olympic Games titlist, was another top athlete in the relay. </p><p> Han Xiaopeng, 26, born in Peixian, Xuzhou, in Jiangsu Province is a freestyle skier who competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, and won gold in the men's aerials event. </p><p> Han is the first Chinese man to ever win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics. </p><p> "I do hope I can win another gold medal in the Vancouver Winter Olympics," said Han. </p><p> "I hope I am passing the message when I pass the torch that more people should care about the Winter Games and ice and snow sports." </p><p> Han is the first Chinese man to ever win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics. </p><p> Liu Yongfu, who trained four judo Olympic champions for China, ran in the ninth place. </p><p> Two renowned basketball coaches were also among the torchbearers. They are Guo Shiqiang and Jiang Xingquan. </p><p> Guo is a player in the national team and now the coach in the Liaoning team, who were the runners-up in the CBA last season. </p><p> Jiang had been a former national basketball coach between 1991 and 2003. </p><p> The Chinese national basketball team is generally recognized as the strongest team in Asia, and has won more FIBA Asian Championships than any other nation. </p><p> The Olympic torch finished its tour in Shenyang at 10:18 a.m. covering 14.4 kilometers with 241 torchbearers in the relay. </p><p> The Olympic torch relay in Shenyang is the first leg of the sacred Olympic flame's tour in northeast China's Liaoning province. </p><p> The torch will then leave for Anshan, a city famous for iron and steel industry, for its second leg in Liaoning. </p><p> Shenyang is a sub-provincial city and capital of Liaoning province in northeast China. </p><p> Along with its nearby cities, Shenyang is an important industrial center in China, and the transportation and commercial center of China's northeastern region. </p> |
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