An embrace
Retold by C.S. · ·
About Derek & Jim Redmond · Barcelona, Spain · 2 min read
At 19:15 CEST on Monday 3 August 1992, Derek Redmond of Great Britain was in lane 5 at the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc. It was the first men’s 400-metre semi-final.
On the back straight, in the first half of the lap, his right hamstring went. The limp became a hop. Steve Lewis of the United States won the heat in 44.50. The others finished. Redmond was still on the track.
"I heard it pop, felt the tug. I stood on the track, I was confused, and didn’t know what was going on. Then it came to me that this was the Olympic semi-final. I looked across and saw the runners and knew that I had to try and finish."
Ken Jones of The Independent was in the stadium that evening. Jim Redmond was 49. He had a ticket, not a pass. He sat high, near the Olympic flame, in a white T-shirt and a blue cap. He was not a coach. Officials and a cop tried to stop him. He made it over the barriers and on to the track.
Jones saw him cuddling his son, wiping away the tears, bringing him home in an embrace. They crossed together.
"I just wanted to be with the boy."
The official result was DNF.
He had not started in 1988.