Tributes paid after death of Derek Redmond’s father

JIM Redmond, who famously helped his injured son Derek cross the finish line in Barcelona in 1992 in an iconic Olympic moment, has died aged 81.

Redmond ran from his seat in the crowd to assist his son, who had torn his hamstring at the top of the home straight.

The pair then finished the 400m semi-final together.

The British Olympic Association (BOA) said his was an Olympic moment that will “never be forgotten”.

The footage has been viewed millions of times on social media and the International Olympic Committee said on Twitter.

“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.”

In an interview with BBC Sport in 2012, Derek Redmond said that when he suffered the injury, he just wanted to finish the race and became aware of his father running over to him.

“He tried to talk me out of it at first,” he recalled. “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.” (BBC Sport)

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