For a 19-year-old, Fremont native Kylan Nieh already boasts an impressive resume. The University of California at Berkeley student and former valedictorian and student body president at Mission San Jose High added a new accomplishment Wednesday: Olympic torchbearer.
Nieh was one of 22 Americans selected by Coca-Cola to carry the Olympic flame due to the positive impact they’ve made in their communities. A former competitive gymnast, Nieh entertained the fans who lined the streets of Andover, England with a series of handsprings during his leg of the torch relay.
He will begin his junior year at Cal in the fall, where he is studying computer science and business administration. Nieh teaches a leadership and public speaking course at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and serves as president of Nestle’s Very Best in Youth Foundation.
While a student at Mission San Jose High in Fremont, he co-founded Internetting Family, which helps senior citizens learn computer skills and also founded WEducate, which helps get educational supplies into the hands of kids from low-income families.
Also among the 22 Coca-Cola selected torch bearers were former Olympians Michelle Kwan and Summer Sanders as well as 19-year-old Sarah Williams of Pleasanton. By the time the flame reaches the Olympic Stadium in London for the Opening Ceremony on July 27, 8,000 people will have carried the torch through the United Kingdom.
The Olympic flame originates in a ceremony at the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece, and after a brief relay around Greece, it is passed off to the host city.
