One of the most exciting moments at these Olympic games so far was the men’s 200m butterfly final. The twenty year old South African swimmer Chad Le Clos beat his fish like hero Michael Phelps by 0.05 secs. It looked as if Phelps was just going to win it until the very last stroke when, exhausted, Phelps glided in for the touch while Le Clos powered one final stroke to push himself beyond ‘The Greatest Olympian Of All Time’ (Trademark) and basically hit the pad with more force than Phelps which meant his clock stopped first.

What made this race extra special to watch was the explosion of emotion from the young South African when he realised he’d won. Launching his arms high in the air he shouted with joy, disbelieving of his dream victory. In the stands his dad acted in much the same way and when the junior Le Clos saw him as he left the pool, it wasn’t just the chlorine that was making his eyes red. Dad Bert then spoke about his fatherly pride to the BBC in this interview.

This reminded me of another emotional father and son Olympic moment. That of British athlete Derek Redmond and in classic British fashion, it’s not memorable for tears of joy but brave defeat. At the time, Redmond was the British record holder for the 400m going for a medal. In the semi-final however he pulled up with a hamstring and his Olympic dreams were over. Determined to finish the race still, he hobbled towards the finish line. His father watching in the crowd, pushed his way past the stewards and helped his son to the end. These words can’t communicate the tear inducing father and son bond of these pictures though. So if you’ve never seen it before. Watch the video below.

Sorry, I think I have some chlorine in my eyes…

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