What I saw in the video for about five minutes left me numb for a few seconds afterwards and awestruck. Hats off the person who compiled the video but the lesson that it has taught is something to be remembered for a life time. The essence of the video dates back to the 1992 Olympics held in Barcelona. One of the most awaited track events of the Olympic Games, the 400 mts sprint semi final run was shortly to be conducted when all the athletes had assembled on their respective tracks at the start line. The top 2 finishers would qualify for the final run, and there hence all the athletes were ready for the gun shot marking the start. Along with all the athletes was one, Derek Redmond from England, who that day showed the world what courage, perseverance and true sportsmanship was all about. The race started off, and all athletes started sprinting, and towards the last 250 mts nearing completion Redmond tore his hamstring and tumbled on the tracks in pain unable to complete his lap. As the whole stadium watched in shock and disbelief, he rose up on his feet and started limping on his track to complete his lap. This was when his father came forward to help finish the race with a standing ovation from the whole stadium. This incident became a striking moment in Olympic history and became the subject of one of the International Olympic Committee's 'Celebrate Humanity' videos. This will power of Redmond, showed the entire sporting fraternity and the whole world that courage and sheer perseverance is what leads to success many a times. And success here was not coming first in the race but finishing the race and not quitting half way, and failure was not falling down but refusing to try again. After seeing this, I realized especially for sportsmen, there are a lot of pits and falls at every stage that one has to tackle with utmost grit and determination if one has to make it to the top, and even if not the top, being a sports person in the first place itself is a lot of pride in itself. More so, every human being I feel has a lot that one can learn in those 5mins of watching the video that not only portrays the commitment of a true athlete but also certain values that helps one lead a valuable life.
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