Loretta Lynn carried a figurative torch throughout her career paving the way for many female country artists to come, but she also made history carrying a literal one.

Most of us remember Lynn by her many hits including “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” “The Pill,” and “Fist City,” but the country music legend made history as a country artist when she served as an Olympic Torchbearer for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.

In 2001, the “Blue Kentucky Girl” carried the legendary Olympic flame during the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Torch Relay on Dec. 16 in Louisville, KY. Seems only fitting for the most awarded female country artist to date.

The torch, which is weather resistant, is carried by anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand torchbearers — including many musicians of all genres throughout the years — from Greece to the site of the Games’ host city. It’s a practice that dates back to the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.

For the Winter Games, the first Olympic torch relay was run during the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo.

At the end of the on-foot relay, one final person uses the torch to light the Olympic cauldron, which signifies the beginning of the Games and will not be extinguished until the Games have ended.

The 2002 Winter Olympic Torch Relay was a 65-day run from Dec. 4, 2001, until Feb. 8, 2002. The Olympic Flame was carried throughout the U.S. following the lighting in Olympia, Greece. It was carried to the opening ceremony in Salt Lake City.

The “You Ain’t Woman Enough” singer was the first country artist to carry the torch.

Shania Twain also carried the famous torch. She also had the honor of lighting the Cauldron in her home country, Canada, for the 2010 Games in Vancouver.

The “She’s Not Just a Pretty Face” singer said, “I feel proud, very proud. It’s a highlight of my life to be able to carry the flame, to light the cauldron.”

Nicole Taylor is part of Taste of Country Mornings with Wood and Nicole that can be heard every morning LIVE on TasteofCountry.com and on the Taste of Country app from 6-10 am Central. Based in Nashville, the two hosts talk with country artists and go deep into the latest in the world of country music every weekday.