Photo: Lost Olympic Torch Relay cheerleader found

A Chinese girl stands out from cheering spectators.

(BEIJING, April 15) -- Two days after her story and pictures created a frenzy online, the "lost cheerleader" of the London leg Olympic Torch Relay has been identified.

Zhou Xiu, an economics student from Shandong University, currently working as an intern at Lehman Brothers Investment Bank, was among the spectators who excitedly greeted the Olympic flame when it toured London on April 6. Captured by a photographer as she was moved from cheers to tears to an emotion-filled smile by the historical relay, Zhou quickly gained popularity online with fans eagerly wanting to find out her name.

The girl bursts into tears before the camera.

The search, which originated at Sohu's website, soon caught the attention of print media and several hundred websites. When Zhou was identified by her schoolmate Zhao on April 9, Qilu TV prepared a special report to tell her story.

She attempts to smile for the camera.

Zhou, who won an English writing context at Shandong Unversity and who enjoys badminton and long-distance running, has used the sudden publicity to again share her enthusiasm for the Olympics and for the torch. "Thanks to everybody who cared about me. Let our homeland get stronger!" she said on her personal website on April 9. "Peace, patriotism, love the Olympics! I saw many people burst into tears as they witness the relay; they did not complain at all despite chilly wind and heavy snow…"

Since April 6, the torch has made stops on three other continents; Zhou's passion has traveled with it. "I've looked at news about the relay every night since the London leg," she wrote on her website, "sometimes until 2:00 a.m. in the morning."

Zhou Xiu

Zhou Xiu

Zhou Xiu

Zhou Xiu with schoolmates

Zhou Xiu