09.26: Nice photo from Land’s End which illustrates just how busy it
was:
09.24: Convoy over and we’re back under way. Torchbearer with a steady
jog routine which hasn’t been as popular as you’d imagine. Most people
deciding to go with the brisk walk or light jog option.
09.17: This is what convoy mode looks like on the BBC video feed:
09.15: The torch relay is about inspiring a generation, but it’s also
about promoting a product, as Jacquelin Magnay reminds us:
09.11: We’re in convoy mode again. With Marazion the next
destination at 09.26am.
09.08: Sir Keith Mills, the London 2012 deputy chairman, has spoken:
This has been an amazing journey. For me this is the start of the Games and
when the whole country starts to get excited. You have many milestones in
this like winning the bid, the lighting of the flame and its arrival
yesterday was a special moment. This is clearly another big moment.
09.06: We’re still in Penzance where a torchbearer, aided by a carer,
is making good ground down the road. A French flag waves from the crowd to
show our European neighbours are not bitter about London beating Paris.
09.00: I think we have our youngest torchbearer to date with the flame
now. He was at RNAS Culdrose last night and was incredibly well-briefed when
questioned by The One Show’s Chris Evans. On message and handy with a
torch in his hand. This kid will go far.
08.56: A sign from the crowd reads “Torch of Peace”… Tell
that to the Nazis who
thought up the idea….
08.52: The story of the day so far has to be the crowds. Here’s the
latest bulletin from Jacquelin Magnay:
08.50: A woman and her shopping just got awfully close to the
torchbearer. She was right alongside him for a while. Is it his wife? Either
way she’s done a good job of creeping under the radar. The Met would be well
advised to pin up photos of her around the Olympic Park this summer.
Trouble.
08.49: We’re expecting the torch to reach Marazion by 09.01. Right now
it’s still going through Penzance, where the crowds continue to be large.
Lots of flag waving and lots of cheering. It feels like the Jubilee has come
early.
08.45: Our torchbearer columnist happy with her day’s work:
08.40: Is it the sea air? New etiquette rules seem to have been
established on the hoof, which mean the two torchbearers must kiss as they
pass over the flame. A cheeky peck between 17 and 18, there.
08.39: Lighting a torch is not
the only similiarity this London Games shares with the ancient
version, says Paul Kelso:
As Tony Perrottet’s The Naked Olympics describes, a visitor from
pre-Christian Olympia would recognise London 2012 as a descendant of the
ancient Games – and not always for the most welcome reasons.
08.37: Here’s a picture of our girl Bryony with her torch earlier:
08.35: A heck of a lot of people in Penzance too. Cynical types (myself
included) might just get sucked up by all this goodwill and smiling.
08.32: Devon and Cornwall Police said around 3,500 people were at
Land’s End to see the start of the relay.
08.27: Big smiles from Bryony and a competitive jogging pace. Here’s a
pic:
08.26: BIG MOMENT for the Telegraph. Our very own Bryony
Gordon has “kissed” flames, and literally kissed the previous
torchbearer, and is on her way.
08.22: Huge crowds in what I believe is Penzance. Lots of Union Flags
being waved. And lots of work for the security to do as they try and keep
excitement levels down from FRANTIC WAVE to sensible grin.
08.20: DRAMA! BBC say there has already been a hedgerow incident:
08.16: We have a torchbearer with very pink hair. The
first sign of anti-establishment behaviour on the torch relay?
08.13: The current torchbearer is a real waver. Stopping short of
blowing kisses. But only just.
08.08: And she’s off! NO! SLEEP!…….’TILL PENZANCE!
08.07: The convoy has ended and the next torchbearer, surrounded by the
aforementioned security hulks, is ready and waiting to light her torch from
the lantern.
08.06: Security on the torch relay is a big concern. The Met have 70
officers on duty to make sure no protests or assaults disrupt the relay. “If
anybody is thinking of protesting they should come and talk to us, but you
don’t have the right to stop the torchbearer carrying the torch,”
says National Olympic Security Coordinator Assistant Commissioner Chris
Allison. Read
more…
07.59: Here’s another nice shot of Ainslie with the torch. He
looks happy and the flame looks bright:

07.57: Some children are being interviewed on BBC Breakfast. Not really
talkative.
Did you get to touch the torch? Nooooo.
Do you have Olympics tickets? Noooo.
Right, well that’s that then.
07.54: The flame is now in “convoy mode”, which means it has
been transported to a lantern and put in a van on the way to Newlyn when it
will start again. Throughout the relay the torch will be transported a
number of ways, including a zip wire from the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle and a
chairlift at the Needles on the Isle of Wight.
07.51: Every torchbearer seems to have handled their nerves pretty well
so far. But what happens if they drop the torch, I hear you ask. Well, Locog
and the torch’s designers say it has been tested to keep the flame burning
even if it is dropped from up to a height of 3m. That said, the damage to
the body of the torch would probably merit a replacement one being lit.
07.48: Locog chairman Seb Coe has spoken:
A huge thank you to all those who have been involved in the planning
process who have helped the London 2012 Olympic torch relay come to
life. Everyone has played their part in giving thousands of inspirational
people and hundreds of communities their moment to shine.
07.42: The BBC video feed appears to be encountering some difficulties
(understandable given the remote location) but if you want to follow the
whereabouts of the torch you can do so with our nifty
interactive map.
07.39: The torch is now somewhere between Sennen and Newlyn, before it
hits Penzance at 8.20am.
07.34: Our man Ben Ainslie with his reaction after beginning the
torch relay earlier this morning.
I’m very proud for the whole nation. It’s a fantastic moment. The torch is
actually quite heavy – believe it or not. It was pretty emotional. So much
effort has gone into getting the Olympics over to London and I’m very proud
for everyone involved. This is great for Cornwall. This is such an exciting
period in the run-up to the Olympics. The world championships went very well
yesterday but this year is all about the Olympics. The atmosphere here shows
what strong home support athletes are going to receive.
07.31: A serious question from Jacquelin Magnay:
07.28: We’re on to torchbearer No 4.
07.27: British triple jump legend and ever-present London 2012
cheerleader Jonathan Edwards says Ainslie taking the torch was his
best moment so far in the never-ending Olympic build-up. “I had a
proper tear,” he says.
07.24: A Locog torch official talking on BBC News is tip-toeing gently
around the fact that the torch’s
origins stem from Nazi Germany. He just references “a
1930s German professor”.
07.23: In today’s Daily Telegraph there is a fantastic torch
relay supplement. I’ll feed through some of the best bits throughout this
morning’s live coverage. To start with Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby explain
how they designed
the London 2012 Olympic torch.
07.20: Swallow is handy on a wave, but she’s not a bad jogger either. I
think she was on 9-minute mile pace for her leg of the relay. Now the flame
is being ‘kissed’ between the two torches and the third torchbearer is off.
07.17: Ainslie has handed the flame over to the second torchbearer,
Tassy Swallow, a local surf champion who yearns for the sport to be adopted
by the IOC for future Games.
07.15: Ainslie is playing up to the crowd, letting them all touch the
torch. Showman. Oh, now he’s broken into a jog in what is a more familliar
torch relay pace.
07.12: There’s a fair amount of wind but that flame is still burning
brightly. Organisers are confident it will stay alight in winds of 35mph and
even gusts of up to 50mph. Tests have shown it to handle 50mm an hour of
rain or snow and temperatures from -5C and up to 40C.
07.10: Richard Full, who handed over the torch to Ainslie:
I was shaking a bit. It was a real honour to hand it over.
07.09: Ainslie is off! Still a slow walk, with much waving, at the
moment, but I trust he’ll break into a jog shortly.
07.07: It’s lit! Ainslie is just so damn good at everything, isn’t he?
07.05: Ainslie, torchbearer 001, is posing for a few pictures before
the lantern is used to light his torch.
07.03: The flame is being transported in a lantern towards Ainslie who
is standing underneath the famous Land’s End sign.
07.01: The chopper has landed! The Duke of Cambridge Prince William
will not be involved in the torch relay this morning. Sources say he didn’t
want to take focus off his Royal Navy colleagues involved in the Sea King
search and rescue chopper.
06.57: We’re about three minutes away from this Royal Navy rescue
chopper landing.
06.55: Ainslie seems intensely relaxed ahead of his big moment. A bit
like a groom preparing to wed his third wife.
06.51: An update from our Olympics Editor Jacquelin Magnay who is at
Land’s End
Paul Deighton says people are lined ten deep on the route into Lands End. “This
confirms the optimism I have always had. Response from localcommunities and
the inspirational stories behind the torchbearer have been fantastic. The
local pub had a “torch-tastic” night last night”
06.48: A helicopter is delivering the flame to Land’s End. It will be
handed over to London 2012 officials who will then light the torch and hand
it to today’s first torchbearer, three-time Olympic gold medallist and Telegraph
Sport columnist Ben Ainslie.
06.46: Our decorated Olympian Sir Steve Redgrave believes this is the
start of the real
Olympic countdown.
There is no doubt now: the Olympics have truly arrived in Britain. The
arrival of the Olympic torch on British soil on Friday night and the start
of the relay on Saturday has made the whole event seem that much more real.
Maybe not so much for the athletes, who are mainly overseas or locked down
in training camps, but for the spectators it’s the moment when they can
really start to appreciate the enormity and significance of this crazy,
chaotic, wonderful festival of sport hurtling towards us.
06.43 Good morning and thanks for joining us for live coverage of the
start of the torch relay. We’re at Land’s End in Cornwall for the beginning
of a 70-day journey that will end with the torch lighting the cauldron in
the Olympic Stadium. The relay begins in just over 15 minutes, so let’s get
going shall we?
Article source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/torch-relay/9276578/London-2012-Olympics-torch-relay-begins-at-Lands-End-live-updates.html