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At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, an athlete's father-through the media of television-gave us an image of fathering that will stay with many of us for years to come. You probably remember that moment when desperate failure was instantly transformed to high achievement by the love of a father. At the last turn of the men's 400-meter race, four or five runners strained for the lead. One of them, Derek Redmond, from Britain, pulled up with a torn right hamstring, dropped from the pack, and fell to the ground. Medical attendants urged him to stay still, but Derek pushed them aside, struggled to his feet and began hopping in a crazed attempt to finish the race. Then we all witnessed something remarkable. Derek's father, Jim Redmond, came rumbling out of the stands in his shorts and white T-shirt. He flung a security guard out of his way and ran to his son, who was just reaching the home stretch. Jim Redmond put his arm around his son and said, "You don't have to do this." "Yes, I do," said Derek. "Well, then," said Jim, without hesitating, "we're going to finish this together." And so they did. Derek leaned against his father, sometimes burying his face in his shoulder to hide his tears, and they stayed in Derek's lane all the way to the finish line. The crowd in Barcelona stood and cheered - just as I wanted to do as I fought back the tears when I saw it on television. Now, I don't think there's any meaning I could draw from this story that's more profound than this simple demonstration of love from a father to his child. But what really struck me about that night was this father's awareness. Jim Redmond probably knew before anyone in the stands that something wasn't right. He also must have known that the best thing for his son's leg would be to sit him down and get immediate treatment. But this father also knew his son. He'd watched his son train for this moment for four years. His son had come to Barcelona for one reason: to finish this race. He knew how important that was to his son, and he was willing to do whatever it took to see his son achieve that goal. My hope today is that all fathers would know their children and willingly spring into action to help meet their needs.
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