Derek Redmond
Encyclopedia
Derek Anthony Redmond (born 3 September 1965, in Bletchley, Buckinghamshire
, England) is a retired British
athlete. During his career, he held the British record for the 400 metres
sprint, and won gold medals in the 4x400 metres relay at the World Championships
, European Championships
and Commonwealth Games
.
However his career was blighted by a series of injuries, and he is best remembered for his performance at the 1992 Olympic Games
in Barcelona
where he tore his hamstring
in the 400 metres semi-final but fought through the pain and, with assistance from his father, managed to complete a full lap of the track as the crowd gave him a standing ovation
. The incident has become a well-remembered moment in Olympic history, having been the subject of one of the International Olympic Committee
's 'Celebrate Humanity' videos and been used in advertisements by Visa as an illustration of the Olympic spirit and featured in Nike's "Courage" commercials in 2008.
, but Redmond reclaimed the record in 1987 with a run of 44.50 seconds. The record lasted until 1992.
In 1986, Redmond was a member of teams which won the 4x400 metres relay gold medal at both the European Championships and Commonwealth Games. The following year, he was on the team which won the 4x400 metres relay silver medal at the World Championships.
At the 1991 World Championships
Redmond was a member of the British team which shocked the athletics world by beating the much-favoured American team into second place to claim the gold medal in the 4x400 metres relay. Redmond ran the second leg in the final and, together with team-mates Roger Black, John Regis
and Kriss Akabusi
, ran what was then the second-fastest 4x400 metres relay in history.
Injuries consistently interrupted Redmond's career. At the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, he pulled out of the opening round of the 400 metres 90 seconds before his heat was due because of an injury to his achilles. Before the 1992 Olympics, he had undergone eight operations due to injuries. However, he was in good form by the time of the event. He posted the fastest time of the first round, and went on to win his quarter-final. In the semi-final, Redmond started well, but in the back straight about 250 metres from the finish, his hamstring snapped. He hobbled to a halt, and then fell to the ground in pain. Stretcher bearers made their way over to him, but Redmond decided he wanted to finish the race. He began to hobble along the track. He was soon joined on the track by his father, Jim Redmond, who barged past security and on to the track to get to his son. Jim and Derek completed the lap of the track together, with Derek leaning on his father's shoulder for support. As they crossed the finish line, the crowd of 65,000 spectators rose to give Derek a standing ovation. However, as his father had helped him finish, Derek was officially disqualified and Olympic records state that he "Did Not Finish" the race.
Redmond's struggle in the 1992 semi-final later became the subject of one of the International Olympic Committee's 'Celebrate Humanity' videos. In 2008, Redmond was featured in a Visa advertisement promoting the Olympic Games. The advertisement highlights his 1992 injury, noting that "he, and his father, finished dead last, but he, and his father, finished".
. He sent a signed photo of the team to the surgeon that had assured him he would never represent his country in sport again. After playing basketball professionally, he turned his attention to rugby, another of his favourite sports and managed to reach division 1 with the intention of representing Great Britain professionally in three different disciplines of sport. However, after completing trials for the England Sevens
team, he was denied a place on the squad.
Redmond currently serves as Director of Development for sprints and hurdles for UK Athletics
, and also works as a motivational speaker.
In 1994, Redmond won Celebrity Gladiators, and during the first four series of Gladiators (1992–96), he served as Assistant Referee to John Anderson. Redmond has also served as a commentator for Eurosport
, and presented a basketball show on ITV
.
Redmond raced a motorcycle in the Hottrax Motorsport Racing Club with his team in conjunction with Maria Costello MBE, as Costello Redmond Racing. The team finished second in the 2009 Senior 1000 Tag Endurance championship where three team members raced relay style over a six hour period at seven national UK circuits.
Today Redmond does motivational speaking on the conference circuit. Inspiring people with the story of the 4x400 gold medal triumph and his famous ordeal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He speaks of how he structured his goals to ensure that not only would he win olympic gold but also shatter the world record. He failed to reach the final in Barcelona falling far short of his goals.
He also completes a rubik's cube onstage to show how the impossible can be achieved. While impressive the speed in which he does it is a long way away from world record pace.
, where a multi-use sports hall is named after him.
Redmond was married to the British Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies
in 1994 in Northampton. The ex-couple have two children, Elliott Anthony (born 1993, Northampton) and Grace Elizabeth (born 1998, Gloucestershire). They divorced in 2000.
On the 26th August 2011, Derek married Maria Yates.
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England) is a retired British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
athlete. During his career, he held the British record for the 400 metres
400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
sprint, and won gold medals in the 4x400 metres relay at the World Championships
IAAF World Championships in Athletics
The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations . Originally, it was organised every four years, but this changed in 1991, and it has since been organised biennially.-History:...
, European Championships
European Championships in Athletics
The European Athletics Championships is an event organized by the European Athletic Association. It is organised every four years, the same year as the Commonwealth Games and between the Summer Olympic Games cycle. After the 2010 Championships in Barcelona, the European Championships will take...
and Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
.
However his career was blighted by a series of injuries, and he is best remembered for his performance at the 1992 Olympic Games
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
where he tore his hamstring
Hamstring
In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
in the 400 metres semi-final but fought through the pain and, with assistance from his father, managed to complete a full lap of the track as the crowd gave him a standing ovation
Standing ovation
A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim...
. The incident has become a well-remembered moment in Olympic history, having been the subject of one of the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
's 'Celebrate Humanity' videos and been used in advertisements by Visa as an illustration of the Olympic spirit and featured in Nike's "Courage" commercials in 2008.
Athletics career
Redmond first broke the British record for the 400 metres in 1985 with a run of 44.82 seconds. This record was subsequently broken by Roger BlackRoger Black
Roger Anthony Black MBE is a retired British athlete. During his athletics career, he won individual silver medals in the 400 metres sprint at both the Olympic Games and World Championships, two individual gold medals at the European Championships, and 4x400 metres relay gold medals at both the...
, but Redmond reclaimed the record in 1987 with a run of 44.50 seconds. The record lasted until 1992.
In 1986, Redmond was a member of teams which won the 4x400 metres relay gold medal at both the European Championships and Commonwealth Games. The following year, he was on the team which won the 4x400 metres relay silver medal at the World Championships.
At the 1991 World Championships
1991 World Championships in Athletics
The 3rd World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan between August 23 and September 1 and athletes from 167 countries participated in the event.The event is best-remembered for the...
Redmond was a member of the British team which shocked the athletics world by beating the much-favoured American team into second place to claim the gold medal in the 4x400 metres relay. Redmond ran the second leg in the final and, together with team-mates Roger Black, John Regis
John Regis (athlete)
John Paul Lyndon Regis, MBE is a retired English sprinter. During his career, he won gold medals in the 200 metres at the 1989 World Indoor Championships and the 1990 European Championships, and a silver medal in the distance at the 1993 World Championships.He was a member of the British teams...
and Kriss Akabusi
Kriss Akabusi
Kriss Kezie Uche Chukwu Duru Akabusi MBE is a former sprint and hurdling athlete from the United Kingdom. During his career, he won the gold medal in the 400 metres hurdles at the 1990 European Championships, a gold in the 4 x 400 metres relay at the 1991 World Championships, and a silver medal in...
, ran what was then the second-fastest 4x400 metres relay in history.
Injuries consistently interrupted Redmond's career. At the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, he pulled out of the opening round of the 400 metres 90 seconds before his heat was due because of an injury to his achilles. Before the 1992 Olympics, he had undergone eight operations due to injuries. However, he was in good form by the time of the event. He posted the fastest time of the first round, and went on to win his quarter-final. In the semi-final, Redmond started well, but in the back straight about 250 metres from the finish, his hamstring snapped. He hobbled to a halt, and then fell to the ground in pain. Stretcher bearers made their way over to him, but Redmond decided he wanted to finish the race. He began to hobble along the track. He was soon joined on the track by his father, Jim Redmond, who barged past security and on to the track to get to his son. Jim and Derek completed the lap of the track together, with Derek leaning on his father's shoulder for support. As they crossed the finish line, the crowd of 65,000 spectators rose to give Derek a standing ovation. However, as his father had helped him finish, Derek was officially disqualified and Olympic records state that he "Did Not Finish" the race.
Redmond's struggle in the 1992 semi-final later became the subject of one of the International Olympic Committee's 'Celebrate Humanity' videos. In 2008, Redmond was featured in a Visa advertisement promoting the Olympic Games. The advertisement highlights his 1992 injury, noting that "he, and his father, finished dead last, but he, and his father, finished".
After retirement
Two years after the olympics in Barcelona, he was told by a surgeon that he would never run again or represent his country in sport. However after coming to terms with the loss of athletics as a career, he began to turn his attention, with the encouragement of his father, to other sports that he enjoyed. After trials at several basketball clubs, he secured a place on the GB basketball teamGreat Britain national basketball team
The Great Britain men's national basketball team, known as Great Britain or GB, is the national team for Great Britain in basketball...
. He sent a signed photo of the team to the surgeon that had assured him he would never represent his country in sport again. After playing basketball professionally, he turned his attention to rugby, another of his favourite sports and managed to reach division 1 with the intention of representing Great Britain professionally in three different disciplines of sport. However, after completing trials for the England Sevens
England national rugby union team (sevens)
The English national rugby union sevens team compete in the World Sevens Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games.-Honours:* 1973 International Seven-A-Side Tournament - Winners* Rugby World Cup Sevens Winners 1993* Hong Kong Sevens Winners 2002* Hong Kong Sevens Winners 2003*...
team, he was denied a place on the squad.
Redmond currently serves as Director of Development for sprints and hurdles for UK Athletics
UK Athletics
UK Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for overseeing the governance of athletics events in the UK as well as athletes, their development, and athletics officials....
, and also works as a motivational speaker.
In 1994, Redmond won Celebrity Gladiators, and during the first four series of Gladiators (1992–96), he served as Assistant Referee to John Anderson. Redmond has also served as a commentator for Eurosport
Eurosport
Eurosport is a pan-European television sport network operated by French broadcaster TF1 Group. The network of channels are available in 59 countries, in 20 different languages providing viewers with European and international sporting events...
, and presented a basketball show on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
.
Redmond raced a motorcycle in the Hottrax Motorsport Racing Club with his team in conjunction with Maria Costello MBE, as Costello Redmond Racing. The team finished second in the 2009 Senior 1000 Tag Endurance championship where three team members raced relay style over a six hour period at seven national UK circuits.
Today Redmond does motivational speaking on the conference circuit. Inspiring people with the story of the 4x400 gold medal triumph and his famous ordeal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He speaks of how he structured his goals to ensure that not only would he win olympic gold but also shatter the world record. He failed to reach the final in Barcelona falling far short of his goals.
He also completes a rubik's cube onstage to show how the impossible can be achieved. While impressive the speed in which he does it is a long way away from world record pace.
Personal life
Redmond was educated at Roade School, NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, where a multi-use sports hall is named after him.
Redmond was married to the British Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies
Sharron Davies
Sharron Elizabeth Davies MBE is a retired swimmer from the United Kingdom. She won a silver medal in the 400 metre individual medley at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, and two gold medals at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton...
in 1994 in Northampton. The ex-couple have two children, Elliott Anthony (born 1993, Northampton) and Grace Elizabeth (born 1998, Gloucestershire). They divorced in 2000.
On the 26th August 2011, Derek married Maria Yates.
External links
- Official website
- Motivational Speaker Agent website