“A child looks up at the stars and wonders. A great father puts a child on his shoulders and helps him to grab that star.”

—Reed Markham

Today’s story is contributed by Rick Weinberg.

This story is a tribute to the grit of a son and a dad who raised a great man. Dedication, courage, focus and grit. Some have it. Some don’t. What separates great men from mere boys? Our guest writer, Rick Weinberg, takes it from here.

Derek Redmond and his father, Jim

Unlike Carl Lewis and Daley Thompson, Derek Redmond is not a name that conjures up memories of Olympic gold medals. But it is Redmond who defines the essence of the human spirit. Redmond arrived at the 1992 Olympic Summer Games in Barcelona determined to win a medal in the 400. The color of the medal was meaningless; he just wanted to win one. Just one.

He had been forced to withdraw from the 400 at the 1988 Games in Seoul, only 10 minutes before the race, because of an Achilles tendon injury. He then underwent five surgeries over the next year. READ MORE