Jim Redmond, who helped his injured sprinter son, Derek Redmond, cross the finish line at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in what became an iconic moment of Games history, has died aged 81, it was revealed on Tuesday.
Jim Redmond dashed onto the track to help his stricken son, who had torn his hamstring at the top of the home straight and together the Britons limped to the finish line of the 400m semi-final.
The footage is one of the most-watched moments of Olympic history on social media.
Photo: AFP
“Our thoughts are with Derek Redmond and his family following the death of his father, Jim,” the International Olympic Committee wrote on Twitter. “Together, they brought us one of the most inspirational moments in Olympic history.”
The British Olympic Association said the Redmonds had created an Olympic moment that will “never be forgotten.”
In a BBC interview in 2012, Derek Redmond revealed that his father had initially tried to persuade him not to try to complete the race.
“He tried to talk me out of it at first,” he said. “He was telling me that I had nothing to prove and that I didn’t need to do this, but I told him I was going to finish. Then he said that we would do it together. So we did, and I limped over the line in tears.”
Taiwan’s participation in the Olympic Games has been a story of politics as much as sports, with the name it has competed under since 1984 — Chinese Taipei — drawing as much attention as its athletes. However, with the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad set to begin in Paris on Friday, the exploits of Taiwan’s athletes past and present who have won 36 medals since the country’s debut in Melbourne in 1956 deserve a nod. Many of Taiwan’s medal winners have gained considerable name recognition, but only two have achieved legendary status — Maysang Kalimud and Chi Cheng, the only medal winners
Shohei Ohtani on Sunday hit a 473-foot (144m) home run as the Los Angeles Dodgers went deep six times in a 9-6 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Gavin Lux, Austin Barnes and Jason Heyward also connected as Los Angeles swept the three-game series. “Going into the break, we weren’t playing good baseball, and then to come out fresh against a really good ball club and to play the way we did — the offense came to life,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. It was the 25th time the Dodgers launched at least six homers in a game
Canada women’s soccer coach Bev Priestman on Wednesday said she would step away from the team’s opening game against New Zealand at the Paris Olympics in the wake of a drone scandal. New Zealand complained to the International Olympic Committee’s integrity unit after it said drones were flown over closed practice sessions earlier in the week. As of press time last night, Canada, the defending Olympic champions, were set to open the Paris Games against New Zealand in Saint-Etienne. In the fallout of the complaint, two staff members — assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi — were sent home, the
Conventional wisdom dictates that the average retirement age for elite female players in the intense and physically demanding sport of badminton is well under 30 years old. Five female shuttlers are set to turn that on its head when they make their fourth Olympic appearances at the Paris Games, a feat never accomplished before. Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying, 30, Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, 29, Belgium’s Lianne Tan, 33, and Hong Kong’s Tse Ying Suet and Canada’s Michelle Li, both 32, are to compete for Olympic glory at Porte de La Chapelle Arena from Saturday to Aug. 5. “These achievements get missed because they’re women,” said