The Greek word for “comforter” is parakletos, which literally means one callled alongside to help. This was beautifully illustrated in the 1992 Summer Olympics during a track-and-field event. As the runners in the 400-meter race flew around the oval track, one of them suffenly pulled up on the back stretch, one leg held up and dangling as he limped to a stop. He had pulled a hamstring! As the crowd stood, holding its collective breath, a man ran out of the stands to the young athlete. It was his father! As the television crew relayed the moving scene to the watching world, the micrphones picked up the runner’s words: “Dad, you’ve got to help me across the finish line. I’ve trained all my life for this race.” And so the father put his arm around his son, and together, they limpedd across the finish line to a standing ovation!
Olympics moment: Derek Redmond finishes 400m with dad in Barcelona
