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  • Set...

  • It's not how you start, it's how you finish.

  • The old adage is true for every sport in the Olympics,

  • be it taekwondo...

  • ..table tennis...

  • ..or triathlon.

  • While a good start in any event is important...

  • ..the real glory is at the end.

  • A gold medal may be the ultimate glory in the Olympics.

  • But sometimes something remarkable comes along

  • to remind us of the true Olympic spirit.

  • Something that shows Pierre De Coubertin's original vision.

  • In 1992, British athlete Derek Redmond

  • was one of those taking part in the 400 metres.

  • Derek had missed out on taking part

  • in Seoul 1988 by mere minutes.

  • An injury meant that he withdrew

  • and watched from the sidelines

  • as Steve Lewis won gold for the US.

  • But that was in the past.

  • By Barcelona 1992, Derek was injury-free

  • and determined to win a place on the podium.

  • That wasn't something unfeasible either -

  • he had already shown he was no stranger to winning.

  • The year before, in 1991,

  • he was part of the British 4 x 400m relay team

  • that had won gold at the World Championships,

  • and Derek was confident

  • he could add to that success at the Olympics.

  • His first heat was a solid run,

  • with his quickest time in the last four years.

  • A great start to the Games.

  • By the second heat, Derek was starting to find his groove.

  • He won his heat again,

  • and looked like he still had plenty of gas left in the tank.

  • Once it was time for the semifinals,

  • Derek was confident he would be racing in the 400m final.

  • He just had to get through this last test.

  • I had a great warm-up, stride and everything went well,

  • came out on the track, put my blocks down, no problems,

  • told us to strip down, stripped down.

  • Then you have the little bit

  • where you're standing in your lane

  • and they come and shove a camera in your face

  • so everyone can see who you are,

  • blocked that out and everything.

  • He said, "On your marks, get set..."

  • Listos...

  • The race started well.

  • I couldn't believe that I was running that quick.

  • It's hard to tell positions in the 400m

  • due to the staggering of the athletes,

  • but Derek was holding his own,

  • well within the time he would need to qualify for the final.

  • Then it happened.

  • The next thing I heard was a funny pop.

  • Derek knew immediately that he was in trouble.

  • The funny pop had been his hamstring tearing.

  • A few more steps and he fell to the floor in agony.

  • In severe pain, Derek could only hold his head in his hands

  • as the other competitors sprinted to the finish.

  • DEREK: I watched them go over the line,

  • and obviously I knew it was over.

  • Four years of hard work and waiting,

  • and it was all over in the most painful way possible.

  • But Derek had not travelled all this way

  • to not finish another race.

  • The bitter memory of missing out in Seoul

  • had stayed with him.

  • As medics came to help him off the track,

  • Derek refused to go out without a fight.

  • Obviously in pain, he was going to finish this race,

  • no matter what it took.

  • But Derek wouldn't have to finish this race on his own.

  • Barging his way through the stands came his father, Jim,

  • desperate to help his son in any way he could.

  • Derek struggled through the pain

  • to embrace the man who had done so much for his career.

  • The pair continued down the last 100m.

  • Back in Derek's home town, Northampton,

  • the sight of seeing her brother and father

  • struggle so dramatically

  • sent Derek's pregnant sister into labour

  • earlier than expected.

  • In great pain, and struggling to move,

  • Derek was in floods of tears as he finally crossed the line.

  • But the crowd roared the pair on.

  • And while Derek may have failed in his bid to win a medal,

  • finishing the way that he did made him an instant celebrity.

  • The sight of Derek using his father as a crutch

  • has become one of the enduring Olympic images.

  • People gave Derek messages of support from around the world,

  • praising his sportsmanship and perseverance.

  • It was the ultimate show of the Olympic spirit.

  • Competing against the pain, despite the heartbreak,

  • not for the glory of winning, but to cross that finish line,

  • and proving you don't have to be a gold medallist

  • to be an Olympic hero.

Set...

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