CNN
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Jim Redmond, who helped his injured son Derek throughout the end line of the 400m semifinal at Barcelona 1992 in one of many Olympic Video games’ most poignant and iconic moments, has died at age 81, his household introduced.
“It’s with nice disappointment that I’m penning this submit to share the information that my hero, finest buddy my father has handed away,” Derek wrote on Instagram Tuesday.
“There’s a lot I might say about this man however he was really considered one of my heroes in life, anybody who is aware of me or has heard me current will know the way a lot he impressed me in my life, how shut we have been and what he meant to me. To say he shall be drastically missed is a real understatement.”
Earlier than he grew to become injured within the semifinal, Derek had been considered one of Group Nice Britain’s brightest medal hopes in Spain.
He had certified quickest within the first spherical and received his quarterfinal, persevering with the shape he had displayed the earlier yr as a part of the 4x400m relay squad that received a gold medal on the world championships.
However, as he handed the 250m mark of his semifinal, Derek tore his hamstring – his second consecutive Olympic disappointment after an Achilles damage 4 years earlier.
As his rivals crossed the road, Derek hauled himself off the ground and commenced hobbling in direction of the end line alone till his father emerged from the stands, waving off the attentions of stewards, to assist.
Photos and clips of Jim consoling his son as they crossed the end line accompanied by a standing ovation have since change into iconic and used as an emblem of the ‘Olympic spirit.’
A video shared by the Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2016 collected 110 million views in only a yr, in keeping with Derek’s official website, whereas former US President Barack Obama used the second in a speech for instance of “when the human spirit triumphed over damage that ought to have been unimaginable to beat.”
Tributes poured in from throughout the sporting world for Jim, who later went on to be a torch bearer on the 2012 London Video games.
“Our ideas are with Derek Redmond and his household following the dying of his father, Jim. Collectively, they introduced us probably the most inspirational moments in Olympic historical past,” the IOC said.
“I keep in mind this so clearly,” four-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson, a part of the victorious United States 4x400m relay workforce in Barcelona, said. “The love and help Derek’s dad had for his son was on full show in entrance of the world in that tough second. Condolences to Derek and his household.”
