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ABC News: U.S. Woman to Carry Olympic Torch in China Good Morning America| World News| 20/20| Primetime| Nightline| This Week| ABC News Now| i-Caught Wednesday, April 23, 2008 Register | Sign In Home| News Brief| World| U.S.| Investigative| Politics| Money| Health| Entertainment| ESPN Sports| SciTech| Law| Travel| More Search Home > International U.S. Woman to Carry Olympic Torch in China Jenny Bowen will be the only American to carry the Beijing Olympic torch on Chinese soil next year. By JO L. KENT BEIJING, Nov. 12, 2007 2 comments FONT SIZE EMAIL PRINT SHARE RSS Jenny Bowen, an American living in Beijing, has been selected as the only American to carry the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch on Chinese soil next year. She and seven other non-Chinese winners were chosen from a pool of 262 applicants from 47 countries in a contest organized by Chinese computer maker Lenovo Group and the official English-language newspaper, China Daily. Jenny Bowen, pictured with her daughters, Anya and Maya. Bowen has been selected as the only American to run on Chinese soil with the Olympic torch before next year s Beijing Summer Games. (Courtesy of Jenny Bowen) More PhotosWhen Bowen runs with the Olympic torch next year, she will not only be representing the United States. She will also be representing thousands of Chinese orphans. Bowen, a mother of two adopted Chinese daughters, is executive director of Half the Sky Foundation, an organization that aims to enrich the lives and enhance the prospects for orphaned children in China. Half the Sky operates infant and preschool nurturing educational programs for Chinese children from birth onward. A Family Affair In 1997, Jenny and Richard Bowen adopted their first daughter, Maya, a toddler from a welfare institution in southern China. "She came to us with almost all of the ill effects of institutionalization," said Bowen. "She was devoid of emotion. For new parents, it was pretty scary." Maya had suf...