Sochi Olympic torch takes plunge into world’s deepest lake

The longest Olympic torch relay in history paid a visit, and took a plunge, into the world’s deepest freshwater body at Russia’s Lake Baikal.

The Sochi Winter Olympic Games organizers released video of the event and tweeted about the occasion.

The 39,000-mile relay has already taken the torch into space as well as the North Pole. Now it has made its way into Siberia to visit Lake Baikal, which happens to hold nearly 20% of the unfrozen fresh water on the Earth’s surface and is estimated to be 25 million years old.

The video shows the three special torches, each with a special flare attached to burn underwater, being taken into the water and later removed, where one is brought to a monument on the lake shore to commemorate the event.

The Sochi officials also posted some underwater photos via Twitter:

A complete story about the event can be found at the Russian news agency RT. The best part of the video, though, is probably when the torch is handed to someone with a water jet pack that hovers above Lake Baikal.

The torch relay began on Oct. 7 and will culminate on Feb. 7 with the beginning of the Winter Olympics.

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