Olympic gold medalist reunites with volunteer who paid for taxi on his way to race

• Hansle Parchment from Jamaica bagged the gold at the Tokyo Olympics in the men’s 110-meter hurdle race.
• But before the amazing feat, Parchment had almost missed that race after taking the wrong bus.
• He was able to get to the race after a volunteer gave him cab fare, so he made sure to thank her with gifts after his win.

Before Hansle Parchment from Jamaica bagged the gold in the men’s 110-meter hurdles final at the Tokyo Olympics, he almost didn’t make it to the race at all.

Parchment, 31, got lost on his way to the race when he accidentally took the wrong bus and ended up at an aquatics center rather than the track location.

The speedster sought help from Olympics officials and found out that the only way to get to his destination was to return to the Olympic Village and take another bus to the correct venue. But this route would give Parchment no time to warm up for the biggest race of his life, reported The Gleaner, a Jamaican publication.

Fortunately, 25-year-old Olympics volunteer Tijana Stojkovic offered to help — despite strict regulations preventing volunteers to offer such aid.

Stojkovic gave the athlete money to take a taxi directly to the stadium. This allowed Parchment to arrive at the correct location with enough time to prepare.

The 6-foot-5 hurdler then bagged the gold over reigning world champion, Team USA’s Grant Holloway.

After his victory, he retraced his steps to track the volunteer who helped him.

Two days after the race, Parchment shared an update in a video posted on Twitter. In the footage, he can be seen finding her at a bus stop, thanking her, and saying that she was “instrumental in getting me to the final that day.” He then handed her his gold medal.

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness reshared the video on Twitter.

Every Jamaican knows that gratitude is a must. @ParchmentHansle demonstrates that perfectly here.

Video credit: @ParchmentHansle #Gratitude #Jamaica 🇯🇲 pic.twitter.com/EWYfvbOSvn— Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) August 7, 2021

Parchment said, “That’s just because you helped me.” The Olympic gold medalist paid her back for the cab fare and gifted her a yellow Team Jamaica shirt. They then took a photo together.

The Gleaner reported that the Jamaican government also invited Stojkovic to their country to show their gratitude!

We have yet to find out whether she accepted the offer. But she has already posted about the interaction on Instagram, along with a picture of her wearing the Team Jamaica shirt.

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Parchment has resumed training on the track. Meanwhile, we have yet to see whether the gold medalist will get to reunite with Stojkovic in his home country.

Source: MSN