Spectators hoping to see the Olympic torch pass by were left wondering if they were in fact watching the 100m final after the sound of gunshots sent the flame bearer dashing like a gold medal winner.

The flame relay was passing close to the Complexo de Chapadao favela, northwestern Rio de Janeiro, on Wednesday night when a gangster is believed to have sent a spray of bullets into the sky.

The National Security Force, which was protecting the torch on its route to the Maracana stadium, where it will light the Olympic cauldron tonight, ordered the relay team to accelerate - which they did.

Run for it! The flame relay was passing close to the Complexo de Chapadao favela on Wednesday when a gangster is believed to have sent a spray of bullets into the sky

Bemused residents waiting to see the passage of the Olympic symbol were stunned to see the panic-struck torchbearer and support team flying past them in seconds.

A video of the moment the team sprint posted on YouTube by has already been seen nearly one million time and has been the subject of much titilation among Brazilians.

One viewer, Julio Filho, commented: 'Was it The Flash who was carrying the torch?'

Athos Cordeiro wrote: 'Very funny, it was more like the 100m relay than the torch relay.'

And Facebook user Rosa Maria commented: 'I can't take it, I'm going to die from laughing so much.

Bemused residents waiting to see the passage of the Olympic symbol were stunned to see the panic-struck torchbearer and support team flying past them in seconds

'Everything is different for poor people. The poor don't have the right to see the torch. It's easier for them to see a supersonic than to see the torch pass by.'

Earlier on Friday, protesters clashed with police in angry scenes just hours before the Olympics opened as they rushed what they thought was the Brazilian president's motorcade - then diverted the route of the Olympic Torch.

Scores of demonstrators rushed towards the heavily-guarded limousine as it passed through Copacabana Beach, one of the key venues for the Games.

They believed that the country's embattled interim president, Michel Temer, was in the car, although it was in fact another government official.

Mobbed: Scores of protesters surged forward on Friday as the official motorcade passed along the front of the Copacabana Beach quarter

Divert: The route which was supposed to be along the entire front of the Copacabana Beach, was hastily redrawn to avoid demonstrators

The torch is in the final stages of its 125,000-mile journey across one of the biggest and most diverse countries in the world.

Police have already been forced to use stun grenades and tear gas to clear similar protests blocking its path in Rio's Alemao slum, close to the international airport.

Protester Rose Schaefer, 20, was unrepentant about disrupting the torch's progress to spread her message about poverty and corruption within Brazil's government.

'The Olympics were made for the rich, not for the population of Brazil', she said.

'We are sorry to disappoint these tourists from the First World but we have to send a message to our government'.

The run-up to the Rio 2016 Olympics has been marred by protests – including one that blocked the progress of the Olympic torch as it arrived in Rio yesterday.

Police were forced to deploy rubber bullets and tear gas in order to clear the demonstration, with protesters there complaining about the spiraling cost of the Games.

Ready for anything: The Olympic Torch relay's entourage includes armed police ahead of it on a pick-up truck and motorcycle cops

Under heavy guard - then diverted: Each of the runners nearest the torch is an armed member of Brazil's federal police. As the procession approached Copacabana it was diverted to avoid protesters on Brazil's most famous beach

On Sunday, another protest took place on Copacabana with angry members of the police and fire services taking to the popular tourist beach to tell of their anger over low and unpaid salaries.

Among the more eye-catching placards was a banner that read 'Welcome to Hell' and warned that visitors to the Games could not expect protection from the police.

Brazil is currently in the midst of its worst recession since the 1930s, with much of the blame laid at the door of Rousseff and her predecessor, Luiz Inácio 'Lula' da Silva.

Both have also been implicated in a corruption scandal at state oil company PetroBras.

Rousseff now faces impeachment proceedings, with her trial slated to begin a week after the Games close.

As well as protests, the Olympics have also been plagued with concerns over the slow pace of construction, with one key venue still unfinished at the start of the week.

At the Lagoa Stadium, which will host the rowing and canoeing, an overseer told Daily Mail Online that she was concerned work would not be complete by the time competition starts on Saturday.

Security has also proved a concern, with a number of thefts reported in the Athletes' Village over the past week – including the loss of the British swimmers' kit and an iPad stolen from a member of the Danish team.

Despite the problems, the Games will open tonight with a lavish ceremony at the Maracana Stadium on Friday night.