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. (Continued on Page 3)