THE Olympic torch relay in San Francisco concluded Wednesday (local time), without major incidents.

The relay ran for two and half hours through San Francisco with the closing ceremony at the airport.

Chinese Olympic swimming champion Lin Li, who was the first runner in the San Francisco leg, began her run by holding the torch high and waving to a cheering crowd. Nearly 80 torchbearers, including some world-record holding athletes, participated in the relay.

San Francisco police announced the route had been changed due to threats by Tibetan separatists and their supporters to storm the relay, according to local TV.

At one point, Tibetan separatists tried to grab the torch, but were pushed back by police escorting the relay, a Xinhua correspondent witnessed.

Thousands of people gathered along the route of the relay under a sunny sky to show their support for the torch run in the U.S. city, which is the sixth leg on the torch's global journey.

Siu Yuen Chung, chairman of the Chinese-American Association of Commerce (CAAC), said before the start of the relay that, to give the Olympic flame a spectacular reception, tens of thousands of Chinese-Americans will come out to cheer the relay.

Many San Francisco citizens expressed dismay at attempts to link the Olympic Games with politics.

Shirley Olivo, a 75-year-old San Francisco native and grandmother of a Special Olympian, said carrying the torch and the Olympics should not be about politics.

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Zhou Wenzhong said Wednesday that the Olympic torch relay in San Francisco was "successful" with an enthusiastic reception by the American public, including Chinese-Americans and overseas Chinese.

Zhou expressed the belief that the sacred flame of the Olympic would continue to burn brighter, the Olympic Games in Beijing would be a complete success and the Olympic spirit would be carried forward.

(Xinhua)