The Father in the Stands

At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, British sprinter Derek Redmond had one goal: a 400-meter medal. He'd trained for this moment his entire life, battling through multiple surgeries to reach the Games.

Fifty meters into the semifinal, he heard a pop. His hamstring had torn. He fell to the track, but refused to stay down. Sobbing, he rose and began hobbling toward the finish line. Security tried to stop the man who suddenly burst from the stands — but Jim Redmond pushed through. Derek's father had seen his son fall, and nothing was going to keep him away.

Jim wrapped his arm around Derek's waist and whispered, "You don't have to do this." Derek answered through tears: "Yes I do." So his father said, "Then we're going to finish this together."

They crossed the line arm in arm — no medal, no record, just a father and his son. The packed stadium rose to give them a standing ovation.