Drayton man reflects on role as Olympic torch bearer

DRAYTON – Drayton resident J.P. Fillion made the trip – over 6,000km – to Milan, Italy to carry the Olympic torch on behalf of Canada on Feb. 2.

The Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina started on Feb. 6 and will run until Feb. 22.

“I feel extremely honoured and  excited to get to Italy,” said Fillion in a video clip taken before his trip.

Fillion documented his time in Italy and posted it to his YouTube channel. 

While the main event was obviously carrying the Olympic flame, Fillion took his time to document the sights and sounds of Italy as well. 

After some sightseeing, Fillion made his way to the “collection point” where he signed in with organizers and received his Olympic torch bearer uniform. 

“We’re given our uniforms, [told] how to carry the torch and how to receive the flame and pass the flame off to the other torch bearers,” explained Fillion in his YouTube video. 

Fillion and nine other Canadian torch bearers then boarded a bus and made their way through the packed streets of Ponteranica, Italy, where the torch procession officially began. 

Afterwards, Fillion enjoyed his time in Italy with some more exploration as well as some skiing.

“What an absolute crazy adventure it turned out to be,” said Fillion. 

To watch Fillion’s full video, visit “Biking With JP” on YouTube.