(ATR) The Olympic Torch Relay in Foz do Iguacu brought multi-time torchbearers and Olympic novices together.
Around the Rings visited the Torch Relay on Day 59 in the town bearing one of Brazil’s most iconic natural landmarks and one of the world's largest waterfalls.
Just miles from the Iguacu Falls, Coca-Cola brought a mix of foreign and local torchbearers all in awe of the glow from the Olympic Flame.
Lang Lang, a world-renowned Chinese pianist, carried the torch for his third straight summer Games. He told ATR how his participation in the 95-day relay was an "incredible honor," even after carrying the torch ahead of Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
"I’ve always wanted to come here, as it is a place that everyone wishes to go, but it is very far from China," Lang said. "[The relay] represents the very positive, optimistic spirit, and also because it is a flame you feel really connected to the previous torchbearer and the one after. "You feel as if you have some kind of mission; you feel a bit of responsibility."
Before participating in the relay, Lang played a set near the falls for his fellow Chinese torchbearers. He called seeing the falls for the first time "a mind-blowing [dreamlike] atmosphere," and running with the torch only sparked his excitement to return. During the Games, Lang is expected to perform another concert in Rio, as he did during the 2014 World Cup.
As the Olympic Flame made its way to Lang, a series of buses filled with representatives from Bradesco, Coca-Cola, and Nissan passed by. Each bus was more enthusiastic than the last, preparing Lang for the third run of his life, calming all nerves and leaving just smiles.
Not all of the streets were lined with people waiting to glimpse the Olympic torch, as some, larger cities around Brazil had seen. The loud, excited relay caravan bust through in some areas of the travelers haven, but blocks away citizens continued with their daily lives with the relay unnoticed.
Still, for torchbearers the experience remained unforgettable. Victoria Nieradka, a 14-year old athletics champion in Brazil hoping to make the 2020 Olympics, told ATR being selected to run was "indescribable," but felt as if she were a tangible part of the Olympic Games. Nieradka is from the town of Foz do Iguacu, and got involved in athletics through a local social program designed for at-risk kids.
"I feel like I’m part of this Olympic moment and it makes me want to go further," Nieradka said. "It represents that I’m part of the Olympic Games, which is my dream, and it feels like nothing is impossible. I could never dream that I would carry the torch and here I am carrying it!"
As the day wound down, more and more people trickled in to the park where a Rio 2016 cauldron would be lit to end the day’s celebrations. All three relay sponsors had activations in the park, handing out branded goodies and playing music to energize the crowd. For Coca-Cola that means handing out a total of 1.3 million "perfect sized" samples, so that everyone can drink the beverage while enjoying the relay.
On stage performers kept the crowd entertained as the final torchbearer Tacius Lima, who runs a local NGO cleaning degraded forest area nearby, ran through the crowd and lit the cauldron to finish the day’s relay.
The celebration continued into the night with local musical groups performing before organizers began packing up, ready to start the process all over for day 60, one day closer to Rio de Janeiro
Written by Aaron Bauer in Foz do Iguacu
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