"Tomorrow's torch relay will be a good opportunity," she said, adding that her family will watch the torch relay on Thursday.

"I believe the Beijing Olympics will be a success and I am anticipating to win medals in Beijing in August," said the hockey player.

Thirty-eight-year-old Gerrard Gosens, a blind torchbearer, will compete in the 50 meters race in the Paralympics in Beijing this year.

"Being a torchbearer is a great honor. For me, the short run of the torch relay will be absolutely no problem whatsoever. I will be able to run the 200 meters on my own and I will enjoy all the experience," he said.

"I have never been to Beijing before. The Paralympics will be my first chance to compete there, I look forward to it. When you walk to the opening ceremony as an athlete, it will be a fantastic experience," said Gosen, who conquered the Mount Qomolangma Camp Three in 2005.

"To run 200 meters with the torch will be the longest 200 meters in my life. I am to enjoy this experience," he told reporters.

"The torch represents the spirit of determination and the persistence, represents passion and commitment to the ideals of sports," he said.

"My dream about the Beijing 2008 Olympics is I can bring both the 50 meters and 100 meters gold medals home, it will be any athlete's finale dream," he added.

Eighty-two-year old Stasia Dabrowski told Xinhua that she could not believe she had such a huge honor to be on the torchbearers' list.

"I am 82 years old but feel as young as 28 years old. I can run this relay, there is no doubt about it," she said.

She expected it to be a wonderful time for all Canberrans and all Australians. "We come here to celebrate the torch relay," she said.

Thorpe, who will carry an Olympic torch for the first time in Canberra, said he is looking forward to the torch relay.

"I'm actually quite excited by it, I haven't done it before so this is the first one for me," he said.

Thorpe will be the last of 80 torchbearers on Thursday to carry the flame, which arrived in Canberra Wednesday morning. He will carry the torch to Canberra's Commonwealth Park before lighting the Olympic cauldron at a ceremony on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin.

(Xinhua News Agency April 24, 2008)