An Olympic champion from Jamaica tracked down the woman who gave him a taxi fare after he was in danger of missing his race in Tokyo – and she’s now in line for a free trip to the island.
Jamaica’s Hansle Parchment won gold in the 110m hurdles but caught the bus to the wrong place for his semi-final, ending up at what appeared to be the rowing venue.
In an Instagram video, he explained how he was left stranded with little hope of getting to the stadium on time.
The hurdler said: “I saw this volunteer and I had to beg – because of course she’s not allowed to do much – and she actually gave me some money to take one of the taxis…
“And that’s how I was able to get to the warm-up track at the stadium, with enough time to warm-up and compete – and that’s just awesome.”
Parchment filmed himself going back to find the woman at the weekend to show her the medal he may not have won if she hadn’t have helped.
Surprising the volunteer, named Trijana, he tells her he’s there to “repay you – and show you something”.
“You were instrumental in me getting to the final that day,” the 31-year-old says, as he pulls out his gold medal and hands it to her.
Image:
The Jamaican won the title, with compatriot Ronald Levy and America’s Grant Holloway also medalling
“Really, you got this?!” she replies.
He also gives her a Jamaica shirt – and hands her some cash for the taxi fare.
The woman’s act of generosity looks to have been repaid in spectacular fashion, with Jamaican news site The Gleaner reporting the country’s tourism minister has now offered her a free trip to the island.
