OlympicTalk · Sep 8, 2016
Paralympian falls, gets back up after dropping torch in Opening Ceremony (video)
In an inspirational sequence, Marcia Malsar fell and dropped her torch, got back up and finished her relay leg during the Rio Paralympic Opening Ceremony on Thursday night.
Most eyes in the Maracanã were on Malsar, a four-time 1980s Paralympic track medalist for Brazil who reportedly has cerebral palsy, as she carried the Olympic flame in the rain during the final stages of the torch relay.
When she fell, aides rushed toward her. But Malsar got up on her own and, with the help of a cane and those aides, finished her leg to hand off to the penultimate torch bearer.
The large crowd in the iconic stadium roared with applause.
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