The Olympics are a very special time for the world.
Countries from across the world send in their best athletes for a friendly yet fierce competition. Athletes get to prove themselves in front of millions. Hundreds of millions tune in across the world to cheer on their country. It’s truly incredible.
Of course, the experience of going to the Olympics as an athlete representing your country is rare and the ability to really test your skills against the best of the best must feel absolutely amazing. Even if you don’t win, you get an experience the majority of people will never get and you will know that you were the best your country had to offer.
Leaving with a medal, let alone a gold medal would make any athlete the happiest person in the world. But for one athlete in particular, it wasn’t just winning that medal that would be heartwarming, he wanted to present it to his mother.
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Jeff Henderson, a 27-year-old athlete from Arkansas, promised his mother that he would come back, with a gold medal dedicated to her. He had trained his entire life up until this point and now he had made a promise to his mother. He knew he couldn’t come home without a gold medal.
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His mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s 10 years ago. Alzheimer’s can be tough for many families to endure as their loved one loses their memories. Henderson planned to bring back a medal and not just any medal but a GOLD medal to his mother and dedicate it to her. The medal would forever immortalize her.
Jeff Henderson earned his gold medal in long jumping during the Rio Olympics. America was absolutely stunned at his skills and he was touted as a hero. But Henderson knew that he wasn’t done yet – he still had to present the gold medal to his mother.
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Henderson immediately came home to his mother, who had an American flag draped on her and gently placed the coveted gold medal at the foot of her bed. He then took a picture of it and shared the momentous occasion with the world via his Instagram. The world loved his photo and the promise he had made. The post quickly went viral mere minutes after he posted it. His mother would be remembered by the millions who saw the touching picture.
What do you think? How incredible is it that he managed to get a gold medal and bring it back to his mother? Be sure to tell us below!