Five BYU Track Athletes to Carry Olympic Flame

PROVO -- As the Olympic torch continues to wind its way through Utah, five former and current Cougar athletes will carry the torch on its way to its final resting place at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.

Current BYU pole vaulter Melissa Coombs, a sophomore from Idaho Falls, Idaho, will be carrying the torch in Cedar City on Tues., Feb. 5th at 8:35 a.m. Coombs leg of the relay begins next to Albertson's on Main Street.

Former BYU trackster Mike Taylor will carry the torch in Provo on Tues., Feb. 5th, at 8:33 p.m. His relay leg will begin at the staircase of the William Snell Building on BYU campus (just before 1060 North on East Campus Drive) and will go to the intersection of East Campus Drive and Heritage Drive.

Legendary BYU track coach Clarence Robison, who coached the Cougar men's team from 1948 to 1988 after competing for the track team from 1946-1949, will carry the torch on Tues., Feb. 5th at 9:05 pm. Robison competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics. His leg will begin at 1600 North and 200 West in Provo (next to Bonneville Bank) and go south to 1400 North.

Doug Padilla, a former All-American BYU distance athlete as well as Olympian who currently works with the women's track team, will carry the torch through Logan on Wed., Feb. 6th at 5:01 p.m. Padilla will start his leg of the relay at 910 Main Street (in front of Papa John's restaurant) and will carry the torch to the Gart's Sport sign on Main Street.

Henry Marsh, another Olympian that was an All-American while at BYU, will carry the torch in Salt Lake City on Thurs., Feb. 7th. He will start carrying the torch at 8:15 a.m. in front of Trolley Square on 7th East and turn onto 5th South.

For those who plan to see these former and current Cougar athletes carry the torch, remember the torch relay may be as much as 15 minutes ahead of schedule and plan your schedule accordingly.