Derek Redmond relives iconic Olympic moment

A retired athlete has been reliving the iconic Olympic moment he described as "the one thing people remember me for".

Derek Redmond, who lives in Northampton, was helped over the line by his father in 1992 after tearing his hamstring at the beginning of the 400m semi-final.

It was named the third most iconic moment from the games by the Guardian in 2011.

Redmond said he was still frustrated about not getting an Olympic medal.

Redmond, 58, was born in Bletchley in Buckinghamshire and educated at Roade School in Northampton.

Like so many athletes, he dreamed of an Olympic medal and finally made it to the 1988 games in Seoul, but injury forced him to pull out before his heat.

The year before the Barcelona games, he was part of a British quartet that had snatched a surprise gold from the US favourites in the 4x400m relay at the World Championships in Tokyo.

He was confidently expecting to take another two golds away from Barcelona.

He won his quarter-final but tore his hamstring 250m (273 yards) from the end of the semi-final race.

He was determined to finish but was in great pain and his father decided to come on to the track to help him get to the line.

He said: "It's the one thing people remember me for.

"It doesn't matter that I've won all the other major titles."

He added that the most annoying thing was the incident happened at the greatest sporting competition of them all: "If you're in an Olympic sport and you've got the opportunity to compete at an Olympic games, that's the one you want to win.

"That's the real frustration - that I didn't get an Olympic medal."

Despite his own Olympic disappointment, he is excited about the medal prospects for today's Team GB stars.

He predicts that Matthew Hudson-Smith will bring home a medal in his old distance of 400m.

He said: "I think he'll win it, I think he will break his own British record.

"He's run 43.74 at the moment - I think it will take a bit quicker than that."

He is also expecting great things from 24-year-old Charlie Dobson, who has posted the second-fastest time of any British competitor.

He said: "It's really looking good for this Olympics and the next Olympics."

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