Olympians past and present were among the torchbearers as the Olympic Torch Relay headed further west through regional Victoria on Wednesday.
Just after the relay convoy departed Bairnsdale to begin Day 63 of its Australian journey, the flame was passed to world No. 1 Paralympic marathon athlete Jeff McNeill. Following a car accident six months ago, the 43-year-old Atlanta Paralympic Games veteran has defied doctor’s expectations to qualify for the Sydney Games.
McNeill said the torch relay was a fitting segue to the main event, where he expects to be a medal contender.
‘I think I’ll be competitive … and hopefully chasing a medal over the last five [kilometres]. That’s what I’m aiming to do and that’s what I’ve always aimed to do.’
From Bairnsdale the relay headed west through the farming communities of Victoria’s Gippsland region and onto the more industrial towns of the Latrobe Valley.
Other runners today included Joe Carmody, a local athletic icon in the coal mining town of Moe. Now 77 years old, Carmody is still involved in coaching and encouraging young people to take up athletics. Once a promising sprinter himself, Carmody’s career was cut short by a road accident.
Another venerable runner to carry the torch today was 92-year-old Edward Scott, a former mayor of Moe.
Moe native Julian Paynter, who represented Australia in the 5000-metre event at the 1996 Atlanta Games, said he was particularly pleased to see the Olympic spirit make it to his hometown.
‘People see you on TV running around in the green and gold, they don’t see the years and years of training, the hundreds of kilometres, that you run and there’s a lot of athletes that don’t make it because it’s hard to make an Olympic team,’ Paynter said before his realy leg. ‘Today’s going to be special because the Olympics come back to Moe’
After passing through the towns of Trafalgar, Yarragon and Nilma, the flame settled at Warragul for an evening celebration which featured a performance by singer Vanessa Amorosi.
On Thursday, the torch will travel through the picturesque Dandenong Ranges.
Source: Olympics.com