Athletics legend who created one of the most iconic moments in olympic history returns to pro sport at age of 59

An Athletics legend responsible for one of the most iconic moments in Olympic history is returning to professional sport – aged 59.

Derek Redmond is remembered by many for the moment in the 1992 Olympics when his father, Jim, helped him over the finish line during the Men’s 400m after tearing his hamstring.

Now, the 59-year-old has been selected to play in the 2025 World Basketball Championships for GB Men’s Over-55s side.

A former Birmingham Bullets and England professional basketballer, Redmond will be linking up with The Federation of Masters Basketball Association (FIMBA) GB side, which provides the opportunity to continue performing on the international stage for all age groups 35+.

Speaking with high performance training providers Champions (UK) plc, Redmond said: “I’m obviously really excited. It rolls back the years of preparing for a major competition like the World Championships.

“It all comes with new challenges, a bit of excitement, a little bit of apprehension, a little bit of going slightly into the unknown. I guess my advantage is I’ve competed at the highest level, so I won’t be getting stage fright and that sort of stuff.

“I think my biggest concern or worry is that I can still perform at that sort of level, and I’m not going to make a complete fool of myself.”

A multifaceted athlete, Redmond has also competed in rugby 7s, boxing, martial arts and motorcycle racing post-athletics career. The former Olympian has revealed that he wants to continue to perform professionally for as long as possible.

“Even at the age of 59 I’m not giving up,” he explained. “People always think, ‘why do you still box at your age?’ Well, why not? You know when am I going to stop? When I can’t climb in a ring or run up and down a basketball court.

“I don’t have a time limit on those sorts of things. It’s pretty cool to do anyway. It’s great because it kind of shows I practice what I preach with my work. And I love challenges. I just can’t seem to stop trying. I wish I could.

“I woke up after basketball training with sore knees and thought what the hell am I doing? But I’ll go back next week! I’m like that person who gets drunk, has a horrible hangover, says I’m never going to get drunk again, and then does it again the next week!”

Nowadays, Redmond is also a renowned keynote speaker and business training provider, utilising his own learnings to help motivate organisations’ teams.

He continued: “It means a lot to me, because of what I do now for a living, talking about resilience, talking about never giving up, being brave, trying new things. I think this is an example of that, and I’m pretty much practicing what I preach.

“So it’s nice to be able to not only talk about it on stage, but actually live it. I live what I talk about. And that’s something that hopefully comes across when I speak. I’m talking not just about random things, I’m talking from the heart. I’m wearing my heart on my sleeve, and I’m speaking from my own experiences.”

The 2025 World Championships will be taking place in Ticino, Switzerland between June 27 – July 6, 2025.

FIMBA GB M55 Head Coach Des Williams also commented: “I’m over the moon that Derek is joining the team and preparing with us for the World Championships, he adds that extra dimension and competitive edge and I’m looking forward to working with him.”