Jamaican Athlete Hansle Parchment Tracks Down Volunteer Who Helped Him Win Gold Medal at 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Jamaican Athlete Hansle Parchment Tracks Down Volunteer Who Helped Him Win Gold Medal at 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Hansle Parchment with the volunteer who helped him

The Olympics are all about unity, as the world comes together to celebrate sports. Jamaica’s Hansle Parchment was a part of one such incident which was the absolute pinnacle of the message of Tokyo Olympics. Parchment won the gold medal in the men’s 110m hurdles after a major upset as USA’s Grant Holloway was a favourite to win.

But it seemed that just hours before the finals, Parchment would not even the field as he landed himself in a bit of trouble. Parchment accidentally took the wrong bus from the Olympic village and landed up at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre instead of the track.

After finding himself to be quite lost, he conferred with the officials at the Aquatics Centre who told him that the only way to go to the track was to make his way back to the Olympic Village and then take another bus to the correct venue. This meant that Hansle Parchment would go on to the finals missing his warm up time, or even missing the event all together.

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A Volunteer at Tokyo Olympics Helped Hansle Parchment Find His Way Back

Hansle Parchment
Hansle Parchment

As Hansle Parchment found himself in a spot of trouble, he found a saviour. One of the volunteers at the Olympics, Tijana Stojkovic, did all she could to help the Jamaican despite the strict regulations put into place. She gave Parchment money to take a taxi directly to the stadium, which allowed him to reach the finals with adequate time to prepare.

After Hansle took home the historic gold medal, he went back to the Aquatic Centre to find Stojkovic and thank her for the help. He posted a video a few days later that shows him finding the woman on a bus stop, where he expressed his deep gratitude for her kind actions. He presented her with the elusive gold medal, as they posed for a photo together. Parchment also paid back the cab money and gifted Tijana a Yellow Jamaican Shirt.

 In another act of kindness, the Jamaican government invited Stojkovic to their country in another display of appreciation for her kindness, according to The Gleaner. 

Also read: What is the Secret Behind the Rise of China in Swimming at Tokyo Olympics?