SARONNO, Italy — Rain fell steadily as Amy Garff carried the Olympic torch through Saronno, Italy, just north of Milan, but the weather did little to slow her down.

Surrounded by family, cheering children and local spectators, the Utah native embraced her moment as part of the Olympic torch relay, calling the experience unforgettable.

"I do remember the feeling of 2002, and it is that same excitement," said Garff. "It was amazing."

Garff's run came as part of the lead-up to the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina and ahead of Utah's turn to host the Olympics in 2034.

She was invited to run a portion relay by the Utah 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

For her, the moment carried both personal meaning and a deeper purpose.

Before stepping outside for her run, Garff practiced walking with and lighting the torch inside a nearby building where Wednesday's runners gathered for instructions.

When she walked outside, she was greeted by schoolchildren who had gathered to cheer on the runners and Olympic torch.

For Garff, seeing the children meant a lot because her platform centers on education and youth development.

Through her family's foundation, Garff supports efforts that promote learning and literacy for students across Utah.

It's something the foundation has been doing for more than 20 years in Utah.

"If we can help these kids seek that excellence in their academics and in their athletics and in whatever arena they happen to choose, then that's a win," she said.

Garff's enthusiasm was so strong that her family jokingly had to call out for her to slow down so they could keep up during her run.

Despite the cold rain, she said the experience filled her with emotion.

"This was joy. This was exhilaration. I am feeling very humbled to carry such an important item for the Olympics," said Garff.

The Olympic torch relay is made up of short runs, often lasting only a few minutes. However, Garff said the meaning behind her portion will stay with her long after it ended.

"This was an indescribable feeling," she said. "And I cannot wait for the people of Utah to feel this once again in 2034."

As Utah prepares to welcome the Olympic Games in less than a decade, Garff hopes her run will help inspire young people to embrace the values of excellence, respect and perseverance, both in the classroom and beyond.

"I'm happy to represent Utah in this way. This run was just joy. That was joy spilling out. It's an indescribable feeling," she said with a big smile. "I could have run for miles. It was wonderful. What a great experience."

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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