Jim Redmond — the man who famously helped his injured son, Derek Redmond, finish a race at the 1992 Olympics — has died at 81 years old.
The Olympic Games confirmed Jim’s passing on Tuesday, tweeting, “Our thoughts are with Derek Redmond and his family following the death of his father, Jim.”
“Together, they brought us one of the most inspirational moments in Olympic history.”
A cause of death was not revealed.
Our thoughts are with Derek Redmond and his family following the death of his father, Jim.
Together, they brought us one of the most inspirational moments in Olympic history. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/IyHekB2fyP
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) October 4, 2022
@Olympics
Jim famously came to his son’s aid at the ’92 Barcelona Games after Derek suffered a devastating hamstring injury in the middle of the 400-meter semifinal race.
Derek, while clearly too injured to run, began hobbling to the finish line — and, after a few agonizing moments, Jim came down from his seat in the stands, pushed aside security guards and ran onto the track to help him finish the race.
Jim held Derek’s left hand as the track star made his way to the end — and the two shared an emotional brace, with Derek fighting back tears as his father hugged him.
In a 2012 interview with BBC, Derek admitted his hamstrings felt tight before the race and said he could barely walk after the injury, but his father told him they would finish together.
“He tried to talk me out of it at first,” Derek told the outlet. “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.”
R.I.P.