‘Together we started, we’ll end together’: Details of one of the most shocking scenes in sports history

barcelona (Catalonia), August 3, 1992.

Jim Redmond After a tense night with varying ups and downs, he rises from bed, which is nervous and proud How did he feel when he found out his son would be playing in front of a crowd of 65,000 at the Montjuic Olympic Stadium in a few hours 400m semi-final After overcoming the first two sentences with distinction (even in the first sentence he broke his own record four years later).

He ate his breakfast as best he could, changed his clothes, put on his white hat, and headed to the venue full of anticipation. Once inside, He sits in the stands near the track and sits down to watch Derek On paper, he is one of the main favorites for gold as he arrives in Barcelona with last year’s 4x400m world title.

Jim tries to contain his excitement as he sees his son warming up in lane 5. It was Derek’s first Olympic appearance at the age of 26 after missing Seoul 1988 with an Achilles injury, but he could have excelled in this event as he would have reached Great Britain in the 400m. meters (44.82 seconds).

Jim’s heart rate starts to increase His son stood on the starting position between Cuban driver Roberto Hernandez and Qatari driver Ibrahim Ismail. The atmosphere was tense for a few seconds, until finally the pistol shots that marked the beginning of the test were heard.

“I’m confident. I’m starting well. I ran at my own pace in the first corner and felt comfortable,” recalls Derek Redmond himself first 100 meters during an interview daily mail A few years later. However, just in the middle of the front, Jim saw this scene, his heart stopped instantly, and his eyes widened. his son cried out in pain Fly into the sky over Barcelona and take the back of his left leg.

As the rest of the race continued towards the finish line, Derek took a few more steps before covering his face with one hand and collapsed on the track. “I heard a loud bang. Then I felt pain. I thought I was shot, then I realized the pain: I tore my hamstring The pain was excruciating, as if someone had inserted a hot knife into the back of your knee and twisted it,” he recalls.

“I looked around to see where the rest of the people were. I remember thinking, if I stand up, I can still catch them and qualify. The pain is severe. I limped for about 50 meters until I reached 200 meters and then I realized it was over. I saw everyone else cross the finish line. “

Official broadcasts show how America is Steve Lewis earns final berth Won with a score of 44.50. However, something happened a hundred meters behind him. The applause from the audience was not for him, but for Derek, He tried to run on one leg to finish the race: “I can’t believe it’s happening after all the training I’ve done.”

The applause turned into a standing ovation. The standing of all those present in the stadium. Among them, except for his father, he no longer sat in his seat. To feel my son’s sorrow as my own, Jim jumped out of his seat, dodged the security guard, and ran to him seconds later.: “Derek, it’s me, you don’t need to do this”, he told him as they continued on the track.

“Dad, I want to finish,” she replied tearfully. “Okay. We started this together, and now we’re going to finish it together.”Jim replied. After the stride, Derek burst into tears and hugged him. “You’re a champion, you don’t have anything to prove,” Jim repeated in his ear.while asking doctors and officials to let them finish their studies.

“We walked to the finish line hugging each other, just me and my dad, he’s someone I’m very close to, he’s been supportive of my athletic career since I was seven years old,” Derek said, not expecting the episode to turn sour. have to One of the most remembered in world sports historySo much so that it has been used many times as an example of improvement and resilience by different companies and organizations, including the IOC itself.

“It’s a father’s instinct. I had to stop him to prevent further damage to his leg. ’” Jim explained in an interview. The Australian 2017. “Now I can see that we brought the spirit of the Games into the Games, but at the time it was just parents taking care of their children,” he added. Remarkably, at the London 2012 Olympic Games, 20 years after that exciting event, Jim is the Olympic torchbearer.

that game is Derek Redmond last professional athlete. After running the 400m, he went to the medical center and was told: He will not be able to represent his country again. “I never ran again. My dream was over. If I hadn’t hurt my hamstring that day, I might have been an Olympic medalist,” he thought years later.

As he has done throughout his career, Jim didn’t let go of his son and stayed with him throughout his subsequent physical and mental recovery, and even supported him in his newfound endeavor as a motivational speaker until last year, when he Derek announced dead at 81 through their social networks.

“My hero, my best friend, my father passed away peacefully. While sleeping at Northampton General Hospital. I am relieved to say that my mom was by his side when he passed away. I have a lot to say about this man but he is truly one of my heroes in life and anyone who knows me or has heard me speak will know how much he has been an inspiration to me in my life and our How close the relationship is and what he means to me. I. To say we will miss him greatly is an understatement. Rest in peace Dad, you made me who I am today.“.