Barcelona Olympics, 1992

The crack of pistol fire whipped the athletes into a sudden sprint. Redmond surged forward, running long athletic strides. The hunger for a medal sent adrenaline streaming through his veins.

50 metres flashed by - the lungs beat out air like the bellows of a blacksmith.

100 metres -  the heart pounds like a hammer on an anvil.

At 150 metres, Derek Redmond crumbled to the Olympic track. He had pulled a hamstring, and hobbled for a few metres before succumbing to the excruciating pain. He fell down and lay there, back to the floor, one hand over his leg, the other over his face.

The other athletes raced past the finish line, and had their respective times recorded. The stretcher came for Redmond. At the sight of it, he mustered the strength and courage to stand up on one leg, and began to hobble towards the finish.

Meanwhile, one of the crowd was pushing and elbowing his way past the audience and officials towards Derek. It was his father. He placed Derek’s hand over his shoulder, and together they crossed the finish line to a standing ovation from a crowd of 65,000. Together, they finished the race.

Derek Redmond’s story that day is written with all of the qualities that we as humans should aspire to and be inspired by. It is a story blotted with struggle and failure, but countered by courage and perseverance. It is featured in the Olympics’ ‘Celebrate Humanity’ series and in an advertisement by VISA. Most importantly, though, it challenges the maxim that winners are those who finish first.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=derek+redmond - search page on YouTube for ‘Derek Redmond’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ReZThBQmAU - Celebrate Humanity video featuring Derek Redmond

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU3jfbb172E - VISA advertisement featuring Derek Redmond