London — Jim Redmond, who helped his injured sprinter son Derek 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.
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 and the IOC 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."
The British Olympic Association said the Redmonds had created an Olympic moment that will "never be forgotten".
In a BBC interview in 2012, Derek 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 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."
AFP