Perseverance

Racing to glory wouldn't always mean finishing first.

You can finish last, yet you can win the hearts of a a billion people.

Nothing exemplifies this better than this amazing video.

This is the story of Derek Redmond - a British athlete who was a hot favorite to win the marquee event of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics  - the 400 meters dash.

By a stroke of bad luck, he was injured when a victory, a place in the finals was in his sight - thereby dashing his hopes and the hopes of his family and his countrymen.

He tore his hamstring. But that did not break his spirit.

He lost the race. But he won the hearts of the people.

He finished last. But he gained attention like he was the winner. 

He represented several strong characteristics - perseverance, determination, tenacity - and these made him a victor.

Shakespeare once said - Perseverance... keeps honor bright:  to have done, is to hang quite out of fashion, like a rusty nail in monumental mockery.

Redmond must have had similar thoughts in his mind moments after that injury. 

To mark his name in the list of race finishers, to keep his honor bright,  to show to the world that determination can beat all adversities, to glorify the Olympic spirit - he conquered his pain, endured it long enough to finish the race. 

One quote says it all.