![Ding Ning, table tennis Olympic medalist, smiles as she holds the torch in the final stretch of the Olympic torch relay in Beijing [SHINE]](https://i0.wp.com/usachinatrading.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Ding-Ning-table-tennis-Olympic-medalist-smiles-as-she-holds-the-torch-in-the-final-stretch-of-the-Olympic-torch-relay-in-Beijing-SHINE.jpeg?resize=525%2C295&ssl=1)
The Olympic torch relay began its final stretch on Friday through former imperial gardens in northwest Beijing, with Chinese Olympic medalist Ding Ning among those carrying the flame. Torch-bearers on a cold sunny morning ran past the bridges, pagodas and frozen lakes of the Summer Palace, built by China’s last imperial dynasty.
“Then (in 2008), I was still striving toward my Olympic dream,” said Ding, a table tennis player who won gold at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro and silver in 2012. “Now to be able to participate in the Winter Olympics as a torch-bearer is a rare chance, so I’m very happy.”
Other torch-bearers on Friday included a Beijing opera artist and the head of a traditional Chinese medicine hospital. The relay will end with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony at the Bird’s Nest Stadium.