Escape2Fantasy
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Still the most impressive way to light the Olympic flame.
No special effects, no wires, no second chances, against crosswinds, in front of live television and tens of thousands of spectators, Antonio Rebollo, blessed by Chiron himself, lights the 1992 Barcelona Olympic flame with a flaming arrow.
Antonio Rebollo is a para-olympic archery multi-medalist. The arrow that Antonio shot is now in the Olympic museum in Switzerland.
Edit: https://imgur.com/gallery/gPVB3bd/comment/2111080048 So there's a reason to believe that https://i.imgur.com/AtE4jeA.mp4
Edit 2: https://youtu.be/BLYxxE4CR1M?t=316 He wasn't aiming for the cauldron apparently, but a specific point above it where gas and air mixture was optimal for ignition.
Iaddeveni
It was faked.
GemsAreOutrageousTrulyTrulyTrulyOutrageous
BARCELOOOONNAAAA~! https://youtu.be/Y1fiOJDXA-E
mulface
It doesn't look like he is even wearing gloves, that looks like alot of flame near his fingers.
Rhysers
This was the first one I ever saw when my dad let me watch the first time and I’ve been disappointed ever since.
VinnyVeritas
the way it should be done !
skylark28
As a bird flies RIGHT in front of it, like that one baseball pitch.
FeloniousMonk13
i was watching that live, pretty badass
BonsaiKid
I don't want to be a spoiler but I watched that opened and he missed the torch target by 11 meters. It went over and left the stadium. ;)
carmelkittiekat
I remember watching this!
Dolenmorgul
I believe this was proven to be fake too, sorry to bust your bubble there
tracereading
Were people throwing glow balls?
OaksParcel
"No special effects". It was designed to light automatically. The arrow didn't actually light it but it looked cool af.
Cangurina
Has anyone every missed and impaled an innocent bystander with a flaming arrow?
isetprettygirlsonfire
We didn't! But we had to use special measures to keep the 25 archers from hitting the 50k audience.
kkanne20
Looks like the vapors ignite even though the arrow sails over it, nice!
3dartwork
I remember arguing so much that night with folks around me that the arrow had nothing to do with igniting it. The reverse angle shows! ha!
Turbolibros
Anapcp
He missed... It was made with an electronic starter I think, but it was a very dramatic way to light the Olympic flame, yes
chefsoda
He supposedly took almost 100 practice shots days before & missed once!
NearHereThere
I reckon he's done that before
420supercoolusername69
So this is cool af
Ardback
It was the most spectacular and impressive olympic games start of all History. How did we arrive to actual shitty time from there?
PERRYthePlatpus
Was simpler times then
Cataleast
If memory serves, he was told to overshoot it. He COULD have made the shot, but they wanted to play it safe. Too many variables to control.
ExistentialDreadlocks
Correct, he shot in into a sandbox behind the stadium.
isetprettygirlsonfire
I have watched this on millions of times to figure out how to keep the arrow flame so bright. Had to recreate this live w/ 25 fire archers
OscarGeare
How do you keep it so bright
isetprettygirlsonfire
Most fire arrows get very dim (or go out) from the wind as they fly. You have to keep the wind off. You can see the answer in original video
blameitonmyyouth
I don't know, the pigeon sacrifice was pretty impressive.
WhatUpDog3000
We all ate well that night
itsthevoiceman
Squab for winners only!
SavagePatchKids
TerriblePokemon
My buddy and I are confused
[deleted]
[deleted]
TerriblePokemon
OOF
stronomer
You can see the flame starting to burn from bottom to top. The arrow would have lit it from the top down, like re-lighting candle smoke.
stronomer
So it's a symbolic lighting. Which is fine.
stronomer
On the other hand the Olympic torch relay was invented by the Nazis for the 1936 games. So I'm not that fond.
barnwolf
I'm not sure that's true. The flame might have started from the top, but burned too cleanly to be visible.
DracoViridis3000
The flame seems going from the bottom.
ExistentialDreadlocks
He was told to miss for safety reasons. The flame was ignited electronically.
barnwolf
Only when it reaches the fuel rich bottom does the flame become visible. Then it grows as the ambient temp/co2 increases.
isetprettygirlsonfire
Correct yellow fire (with natural gas or propane) is a rich mix. We always run super rich for more impressive flame effects.
barnwolf
Side fact: Incandescent/gas mantle lantern light is from the mantel getting hot and giving off light, not the flames giving off light.
isetprettygirlsonfire
And those used to be soaked in lime and also use in stage spot lights. Where the term "in the limelight" originated.
Hakkenkrackhowl
Imagine missing that shot...
Skizzlesnap
Only if the guy who is throwing the switch is asleep. That arrow didn’t literally light the flame.
Escape2Fantasy
He was allowed a second shot, in such case.
noWhiteHorseHereJustBatturuPrinsu
What if he sneezed and the first one landed in the audience though
NeverDownvoteMelBrooks
barnwolf
Kinda looks like he did to me. The flame seems to start from the bottom, and not where the arrow passes over.
SadToSay
He was required to shoot high
videoface
https://youtu.be/BLYxxE4CR1M
barnwolf
I guess it could be invisible flames or something. Lots of air, little fuel, so it burns very cleanly with no visible flame?
ExistentialDreadlocks
No, they had a starter in there. The flame was not lit by the arrow and it was never the intention.
Emulen
And no blackish to save him
isetprettygirlsonfire
Here is the shot from outside the stadium
isetprettygirlsonfire
The most difficult is to keep the fire on the arrow burning bright enough for a live audience to see it. Took much experimentation.
CoughingPoultry
This is how I remember the TV footage. The wide stadium view shown the arrow falling behind. This footage was edited to "improve" the story.
Voidstrider2230
The thumbnail looks like a covenant cruiser using a glassing beam on a building
CanThinkOfUsername
Just was thinking what fail will be if he missed and they should have redundancy, but they fake it all. Timing is correct.
isetprettygirlsonfire
It was never intended to go into the cauldron, just pass bove it and i gnite the gas. Nothing was "fake" it was an amazing shot
Kitakita
Even if it did land, it would take a few minutes to combust like that
isetprettygirlsonfire
Propane and methane ignite upon comtact, and you don't even need to l"land" just pierce the vapor cloud
piewacket
A few minutes? Are you familiar with gaseous substances?
justfillingthespace
The wild thing is, even though it wasn't truly the arrow causing the fire, if there had been a flammable target up there he woulda hit it.
isetprettygirlsonfire
Oh he 100% nailed the shot. More important than hitting something is not killing an audience member!!!!
Cataleast
^ This is important. He shot exactly where he was meant to. An impressive shot by any measure.
videoface
This is exactly how it was planned — to hit the gas stream. It was a perfect shot. https://youtu.be/BLYxxE4CR1M
ChaoticSquid
It looks to me like it ignites from the bottom of the cauldron rather than where the arrow passes (which it would if igniting gas)
TheLordOfGiraffes
Actually the gas up there would have had a better mix with the air and so was probably an invisible (or dull) flame due to full combustion.
ChaoticSquid
It would still go downwards, looks like it comes up from the bottom, you can see a pretty big delay in the gif with the other angle too
TheLordOfGiraffes
That’s what I’m saying. It goes down invisibly from the arrow because of full combustion, then comes back up burning rich and bright.
Chainhealer
Where did it land? In water or something?
isetprettygirlsonfire
Not sure, but if it were my show I would have a wide safe area for it to land. No one allowed in the safe area. And personal ready.
JaceTiger
In the knee of an adventurer. Ended their career.
duffusd
Definitely something. I can guarantee it
MEL357
In a people.
FoxGodRecords
In "An ugly bag of mostly water."
RabidDingo
Going old school.
icopro
“My definition is this.”
MeekMariEnthusiast
charliegrs
Yeah, in "water"
goste
Humans are mostly water.
TheOriginalCarl
That's what they said, "water"
goste
Oh shit! I had no idea!
Escape2Fantasy
Ah, so...
Cooverdam
It isn't. That's how the shot was to go. It had to go straight through the gas stream.
isetprettygirlsonfire
We like to call them carefully orchestrated live shows. We had to take precautions with our show, to keep 50k people safe from fire arrows
Cooverdam
Yet that shot was perfect. It wasn't meant to land in it. It was to go straight through the gas stream
isetprettygirlsonfire
Yes, exaxtly and it could have ignited the gas stream, or they could of pushed the backup ignition. Probably only one person knows.
VraedenHughes
Just watched this episode, Sisko is the most interesting captain in star fleet. Fight me.
yifin
Still my fav captain. Got a space station & the coolest ship.
ThePastmaster
Agreed. What episode os it? I'm rewatching and just started season 5.
VraedenHughes
Season 6 episode 19 - "In the Pale Moonlight"
ThePastmaster
Thank you.
theliquidsteak
Honestly they could have just been blasting the gas, if it's LTA it would rose making a huge area to hit
fitchy0812
It does kinda look like it dances down from the arrow, but can't be too sure especially with the video quality
VitaminBeaPositive
You can see the fire start at the bottom and travel up. It was an ignition switch, not the arrow, that did it.
isetprettygirlsonfire
Even heavier than air gasses can be shot from nozzles, and it will travel up. But even more importantly it has to mix with enough 02
isetprettygirlsonfire
Many of or propane effects cant even ignite until a foot or mor above the nozzle due to velocity, cold temp and low O2
Zeterai
It definitely looks high enough then. It might be legitimate, it might not, but the effect was impressive either way and the shot was good.