Edson Romitto, 70, is known around Serra do Salite as a keen marathon runner. He's also the boss of a local newspaper and said: "There's no getting out of it, I'll have to put myself on the cover tomorrow!"

"I wanted to be a footballer but it didn't happen. When I became a doctor, I decided to contribute to sport. I know that an athletic career is difficult, so I give many free consultancies," said Marcos Henrique.

Pupils at the Professor Raul de Melo school, the meeting point for the first torchbearers in Serra do Salitre, decorated the area with Olympic-themed designs.