Antonio Rebollo

Antonio Rebollo Liñán (born 19 June 1955, in Madrid, Spain) is a Spanish Paralympic archer. During the opening ceremony of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, he lit the Olympic Cauldron by shooting a flaming arrow over it, igniting the gases.[1]

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Rebollo and the second or maternal family name is Liñán.
Antonio Rebollo
Rebollo in 2017
Personal information
Birth nameAntonio Rebollo Liñán
NationalitySpanish
Born (1955-06-19) 19 June 1955
Madrid, Spain
Medal record
Men's para-archery
Representing  Spain
Paralympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1984 Stoke Mandeville Men's double FITA round integrated
Bronze medal – third place 1988 Seoul Men's double FITA round open
Silver medal – second place 1992 Barcelona Men's teams open

Life and career

When Rebollo was eight months old, he contracted polio with both legs affected, the right one severely. He competed in archery, representing Spain at the 1984, 1988, and 1992 Summer Paralympics. He won a silver in 1984, bronze in 1988, and a second silver in 1992.

The opening ceremony of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics featured the Olympic Flame being ignited from afar by a flaming arrow. Rebollo was one of 200 archers considered for the position of firing the arrow. There were sunrise practices, along with wind machines to simulate various weather conditions, and flaming arrows that would often singe fingers. He was among four finalists, and was chosen two hours before the event.[2]

There were no fears. I was practically a robot. I focused on my positioning and reaching the target. My feelings were taken from the people who described to me how they saw it. What they felt, their emotions, their cries. This is what made me realise what the moment actually meant.

— Antonio Rebollo, in a segment with NBC about the lighting of the cauldron during the opening ceremony of the 1992 Summer Olympics.[2]

References
  1. "Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics | Olympic Video News Medals". Olympic.org. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  2. "Antonio Rebello - Paralympic Archer". YouTube. 2006-11-03. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2013-07-22.


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