A figure in one of the most memorable Olympic moments of the last 50 years has died.
Jim Redmond - who helped his injured son, Derek finish his 400 meter semi-final at the Barcelona 1992 Olympics has died at the age of 81. Redmond died on Sunday at Northampton General Hospital in England.
“Our thoughts are with Derek Redmond and his family following the death of his father, Jim,” the Olympic Games said on Twitter on Tuesday. “Together, they brought us one of the most inspirational moments in Olympic history.”
Jim’s son Derek, who had missed the Seoul 1988 Games after tearing an Achilles, had posted the fastest time in his first heat in Spain, but came up lame in the semifinal, tearing his hamstring on the back straight.
Instead of seeking medical attention, he continued in his quest to continue the race, limping to the finish line. As Derek rounded into the final stretch, his father Jim, who had jumped down from the stands, slipped security to accompany his son across the final tape to a roaring Barcelona crowd.
“Whatever happened, he had to finish and I was going to help him finish,” Jim had told the BBC after the race.
“We started his career together and we were going to finish it together.”
“As I turned into the home straight, I could sense this person was about to try and stop me,” Derek said in an NBC Olympics profile interview before the London 2012 Games. “I was just about to get ready to sort of fend them off, and then I heard a familiar voice of my dad. He said, ‘Derek, it’s me. You don’t need to do this.’”
Derek said to himself in the moment, “I’m going to finish this race if it’s the last race I ever run.” I’d rather be seen to be coming last in the semifinal than not finish in the semifinal,” he said, “because at least I can say I gave it my best.”
Exactly two decades after helping Derek cross the line, Jim was appointed as a torch bearer at the London 2012 Olympics.
Team GB said: “Rest in peace Jim Redmond, father to Derek, whose Olympic moment will never be forgotten.”
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