“Everything I had worked for was finished. I hated everybody. I hated the world. I hated hamstrings. I hated it all. I felt so bitter that I was injured again. I told myself I had to finish. I kept hopping round. Then, with 100 meters to go, I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was my old man.”

Son of one of the Olympic torch bearers Jim Redmond at the London 2012 games, Derek Redmond has no Olympic medal to his name but is still is one of the most remembered athletes in Olympics history. Despite never winning an Olympic  medal, his performance at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona won him a standing ovation from the crowd. He embodies the Olympic spirit at its best, and hence, has been featured in the ‘Celebrate Humanity’ videos of the International Olympic Committee.

Who is Derek Redmond and what is his success story?

Derek Anthony Redmond is a British runner who has won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, European Championships, and the World Championships. Redmond broke two British 400 meter records before taking part at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Although injuries constantly pestered him in his career, he was declared to be in a good form during the 1992 Olympics event. In the previous  Games in Seoul, in 1988, Derek had to pull out at the last minute due to an injury in his Achilles. However, this time, he was determined to win a medal.

Nevertheless, destiny had planned something else for him. The first round went well; in fact, he recorded the fastest time to reach his quarter-final. The semifinals began and Derek had a great start until 250 meters from the finish when his hamstring snapped. He slowed and fell on the ground in pain for a brief moment. Soon, stretchers came to help, but Redmond continued to hop shoving them away. He was determined to finish his 400-meter race and nothing could stop him.

Jim Redmond, his dad, barged through security and came on the track to his son. Derek made it clear that he was determined to reach the finishing line. Jim like a doting father supported his son  through the last 100m up to the finishing line. They both completed the last lap together to a standing ovation of 65,000 spectators.

Although Derek was disqualified officially and recorded the slowest finish in the 400 m in Olympics history, he is more remembered than the gold medalist that year. He braved the odds with his determination.