Dominican American Félix Sánchez has won the 400-meter hurdles final in the London 2012 Olympics for the Dominican Republic, making it the D.R.'s first gold medal of the 2012 Games and the country's second ever Olympic gold medal (he won the first one ever back in 2004 at the Athens Games). And he did it all with the memory of his grandmother, the woman who raised the now 34-year-old athlete, in his mind and heart.
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His story is one of incredible courage and determination: He won the 400-meter hurdles competition in 2004, but tragedy struck in 2008 at the Beijing Olympics, when "he woke up on the morning of his preliminary heat to the news that his grandmother had died," according to Fox News Latino. Although he decided to run anyway, he wound up with the 22nd fastest time out of the 25 finishers. He recounts the emotional time:
I ran terribly. I cried the whole day. I was very emotional. After that Olympics, I made a promise that I was going to win a medal for her.
And win that medal for her, he did.
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In fact, the New York City-born champion got emotional again as he received his medal. It started drizzling a bit and Félix Sánchez began to cry, remembering his abuela once more:
Ironically, it started raining. It just made me feel like my grandmother was crying tears of joy. She was proud of me.
The now-reigning champion is a true inspiration for all. Not only was he running for the memory of his grandmother, but he's also about to turn 35 years old at the end of the month, an age almost unheard of for an Olympic athlete. In the end, his victory shows that dreams really do come true–and it doesn't hurt if those dreams are in honor of abuelita, either.
Are you inspired by Félix Sánchez's Olympic gold medal win? Do you do anything in honor of your grandmother? Share with us in the comments below!
Images via Getty Images, Felix Sanchez/Twitter
