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Olympic gold medallist Donovan Bailey featured in Pan Am opening

Former Olympian and world record sprinter Donovan Bailey is lowered into the Rogers Centre with the Pan Am flame during the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games opening ceremony at the Rogers Centre on Friday, July 10, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Blinch

TORONTO – The Pan Am Games opening ceremony kicked off with a gravity-daring stunt from Olympic gold medallist Donovan Bailey.

With 45,000 spectators packed into the sold-out Rogers Centre — called the Pan Am Ceremonies Venue for the duration of the Games — a pre-taped bit depicted members of Canada’s gold medal-winning 4×100-metre relay team from the 1996 Olympics trotting the torch around Toronto.

READ MORE: Thousands gather for Pan Am Games opening ceremony in Toronto

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Carlton Chambers gave way to Robert Esmie, who passed the torch to Glenroy Gilbert — who passed the torch through some impressive pyrotechnics all the way up the CN Tower to Bruny Surin, who ran laps around the structure’s peak.

There, he passed the torch to Bailey — who promptly base-jumped off the 553-metre-high structure, parachuting onto the roof of the dome.

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The pre-taped bit then transitioned to the live opening ceremony, with Bailey descending from the ceiling to pass the torch once more, to 15-year-old Canadian diver Faith Zacharias.

READ MORE: Canada to field country’s largest Pan Am Games team ever

The parade of nations followed, with Canada’s contingent of 719 atheletes entering Rogers Centre last to a loud cheer. Third-generation paddler Mark Oldershaw, an Olympic bronze medallist in London, carried the Maple Leaf.

Cirque du Soleil had guarded details of the 150-minute presentation carefully, noting that 625 performers representing 25 nationalities would take part.

The Pan Am Games run through July 26.

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