Of the 104 lucky peopIe chosen to carry the torch during the Suzhou leg of its epic journey, only 12 were from overseas. David Warth recalls those unforgettable few minutes that he's now, erm... forgotten.

How did it come about? It was the most surprising phone call I ever remember taking. I was back at my mom's home in Alabama last summer for a visit, and my finance controller called my cellphone. He told me a friend in SIP had phoned and wanted to know if I was in town'next May'. When I asked why and he replied, "to carry the Olympic Torch", I thought, "I've no idea what my schedule will be, but you can be sure that I'll be there whatever!" But why were you chosen? I just imagine that when the city began looking for foreigners to participate  they maybe wanted someone recognizable, and my family and I have been here for nine years. And also, for eight of those years we lived in the New District, althoug I worked in SIP; and cycling to work everyday, meant I got the chance to mingle with an awful lot of people during that time. How did you feel about the chance to appear in front of millions? I considered it quite an honor and was more than happy to accept. How long did you run with the torch for? The original plan was 200 meters for each torchbearer in Suzhou, but it was shortened to 80 in the interests of time. How did the reaction of the crowd affect you? I'll admit I was a bit frightened by some of the photos posted on the net in Guangzhou and Shenzhen where the crowds were unbelievable. But in Suzhou, the event was really well organized and there was never any real concern. Also my family and a group of about a hundred friends and co-workers were nearby, so it was really exciting. Were you worried you might drop the torch? I had read a blog posted by a guy who participated in the relay at the Atlanta Games a few years back, and he made the comment that he was really worried that he might be unprepared or make a big mistake at the actual event. But he further said that after he finished, he could not even recall his time with the flame, because of all the excitement. I must say I believe him, as the small part I played was so overwhelming that I can't remember the details either! Will you dine out on this story for years to come? I certainly hope so, but I guess this is really just my 15 minutes of fame and no more.