Derek Redmond
Derek Redmond is a retired British sprinter who competed mainly in the 400 metres. He once held Britain’s 400m record and won gold medals in the 4×400 metres relay at the European Championships and World Championships.
Born in 1965 in Bletchley, England, Redmond trained with Birchfield Harriers. He first broke the British 400m record in 1985 and improved it in 1987.
In major team events, he helped Britain win gold in the 4×400m relay at the 1986 European Championships and earned a silver in the same event at the 1987 World Championships. At the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo, his team won the 4×400m relay gold, beating the United States and delivering one of the event’s best times.
Redmond’s career was hampered by injuries. He pulled out of the 1988 Seoul Olympics because of an Achilles tendon problem, and he had eight operations before the 1992 Barcelona Games. At the 1992 Olympics, he tore his hamstring in the semi-final but kept going, with his father Jim Redmond helping him finish the race. The crowd gave them a standing ovation, but they were officially disqualified for outside help. The moment became famous as a symbol of Olympic spirit and was used in ads and videos.
Off the track, Redmond has been active in sports and media. He was a four-time British 400m champion and won Celebrity Gladiators in 1994. He also worked as a commentator for Eurosport, hosted a basketball show on ITV, and held leadership roles in UK Athletics. In 2015, he joined Thomas International as Group Performance Director.
Redmond has been married twice. He and Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies married in 1994 and later divorced in 2000. He married Maria Yates in 2011 and adopted her two children. He is a Newcastle United supporter. His father Jim, who helped him finish the 1992 race, passed away in 2022 at the age of 81.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 23:01 (CET).