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The Olympic spirit is alive and well in Brantford.
Thousands gathered to cheer on the final torchbearer, middle-distance runner Kevin Sullivan as he carried the flame on its final leg behind city hall.
He is a Commonwealth Games silver medalist, he finished fifth in the 1500-metre final at the 2000 Summer Olympics and now Brantford’s Sullivan has a new experience to add to his scrapbook.
On the 53rd day of the Olympic torch relay, following 14 other torch bearers in Brantford, Sullivan carried the flame through a crowd of thousands and onto a stage to light the cauldron.
For Sullivan, it was humbling to be the final torchbearer for the city he calls home.
“When you think about all the great sports people that have come out of Brantford, for the city to ask me to have the honour … it’s a little bit overwhelming,” he said. “It means a lot that even though I don’t live in the city anymore, they still think enough of my accomplishments to ask me to come back.”
The 35-year-old North Park Collegiate graduate and track and field star now lives and trains in Florida but said he still considers Brantford to be his home.
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