Former British athlete Derek Redmond father Jim, who helped his injured son finish the 1992 Olympics 400 metres semi-final has died aged 81.
Jim Redmond : Wiki | Death | Cause of death | Who is
The story begins at the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona.
Derek Redmond was a sprinter for Great Britain, seeking to overcome the injuries that had plagued him — he’d had five surgeries, including one on his Achilles tendon with less than four months before the Games.
His Olympic dreams had been dashed four years earlier at the 1988 Games in Seoul when he tore his Achilles an hour before the race.
Redmond’s pursuit of a medal in Barcelona in the 400 meters started off well, as he notched the fastest time in the prelims and won his quarterfinal heat.
Jim redmond Wiki
Jim redmond was the father of Derek Redmond who provided an unforgettable sporting image when he helped son Derek over the line at the Barcelona Games.
Waving off officials who tried to get him off the track, Jim Redmond ran up to his son, putting an arm around his waist. Derek turned and wept on his father’s shoulder. Together, father and son walked the final meters of a race now long decided.
In the semifinals, Jim Redmond wiki charged out of the blocks and looked strong on the first straightaway.
But shortly before the race’s halfway mark, he suddenly grimaced in pain and grabbed the back of his right thigh: his hamstring had torn. He crumpled to the track in pain and dismay, as the rest of the pack sprinted on.
Alone on the track, Redmond stood and began hopping on his left foot — careful to remain in his lane — determined to finish the race. The crowd stood and cheered as Redmond limped slowly toward the finish line.
Jim redmond death
Jim Redmond, who famously helped his son Derek finish a 400m semifinals race at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics after he tore his hamstring, has died, according to Reuters.
“He tried to talk me out of it at first,” Derek Redmond told BBC Sport in 2012 about his father coming onto the track to help him finish the race. “He was telling me that I had nothing to prove and that I didn’t need to do this, but I told him I was going to finish. Then he said that we would do it together. So we did, and I limped over the line in tears.”
Because his father came onto the track to assist him, he was officially disqualified and given a “did not finish” designation. But it nonetheless became one of the most iconic moments in Olympic history.
“Rest in peace Jim Redmond, father to Derek, whose Olympic moment will never be forgotten,” Team Great Britain tweeted.
Jim Redmond later went on to be an Olympic torchbearer for Great Britain in the 2012 London Games.
“Whatever happened, he had to finish and I was going to help him finish,” Jim told the BBC in 1992 after the race (h/t Reuters). “We started his career together and we were going to finish it together.”
Cause of death
Jim Redmond, the man who moved the hearts of Olympic spectators around the world after helping his injured son cross the finish line at the 1992 Barcelona Games, has died.
- Cause of death : Not Revealed
The Olympic Games’ official Twitter account confirmed Redmond’s death on Tuesday, with the British Olympic Association calling his act of fatherly love an iconic sports moment that “will never be forgotten.” A cause of death was not immediately disclosed. Redmond was 81.
British athlete Derek Redmond was at the top of the home straight in the 1992 Games’ 400m semi-final when he tore his hamstring. Refusing to quit the race, the hobbling sprinter was soon joined by his father, who left his seat in the stands and pushed his way past officials.
The pair crossed the finish line to a standing ovation, with Derek in tears. “Whatever happened, he had to finish and I was going to help him finish,” Jim told the BBC shortly after the race. “We started his career together and we were going to finish it together.”
Who is
Jim redmond was the father of Derek Redmond who provided an unforgettable sporting image when he helped son Derek over the line at the Barcelona Games.
Redmond, whose intervention to help his stricken son Derek cross the finish line in Barcelona in 1992 became one of the most famous Olympic moments, has died at the age of 81.
Redmond ran from his seat in the crowd to embrace Derek, who had torn his hamstring at the top of the home straight in his men’s 400 metres semi-final.
Footage of Redmond helping his son cross the line in the Olympic Stadium has been viewed millions of times since.
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