Story at a glance
- Jamaican hurdler Hansle Parchment’s shot at Olympic glory was reportedly saved when a Tokyo 2020 volunteer paid for a cab to take him to the Olympic Stadium.
- The former bronze medalist recalled how he had taken the wrong bus and ended up at the aquatic center.
- “I had to find another way,” he said.
Editor’s note: This headline has been changed.
Jamaican gold medalist Hansle Parchment’s shot at Olympic glory was reportedly saved when a Tokyo 2020 volunteer paid for a cab to take him to the Olympic Stadium for his semifinal competition.
Parchment recounted the story in an Instagram post last week, telling the volunteer whom he called Tiana that she was “instrumental” in getting him to “the final that day.” The champion hurdler met up with the volunteer in the video where he showed her his medal, gave her a Jamaican team shirt and repaid her for the cab fare.
The former bronze medalist recalled in the post how he had taken the wrong bus and ended up at the aquatic center. With little time before his semifinal event, he had few options to get him to the right stadium.
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“I had to find another way. I was trying to get one of the branded cars for the Games to take me, but these people are very strict and adhering to the rules, and I would have to have to book the car from beforehand to get it to leave,” he said on the video.
“I saw this volunteer and I had to beg, because of course she is 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 warmup in time, and had enough time to compete,” Parchment said.
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The Jamaican minister of tourism, Edmund Bartlett, told The Gleaner he is working on locating Tiana to invite her to his country, saying it is “selfless what she did.”
“No matter where in the world she is, we want to reciprocate the kindness shown to one of our own,” Bartlett concluded.
The 31-year-old Olympian failed to win his qualifying heat, or the semifinal race, before taking home the gold with a 13.04-second performance.
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