5 Beautiful Parenting Moments from Olympic History

Whether watching from the sidelines or competing themselves, these parents and their Olympic moments are going to tug at your heartstrings.

1. Fanny Blankers-Koen Proves Moms Can Compete

As a 30-year-old mom of two, the Dutch athlete won four golds in London in 1948, making her the most successful athlete of those Games. Throughout her career, she tied or set multiple world records in high jump, long jump, hurdles and sprinting. In 1999, she was voted Female Athlete of the Century by the International Association of Athletics Federations and is credited with changing the face of women's athletics by demonstrating that moms can compete in high-stakes athletics and kick some serious ass.

2. Derek Redmond's Dad Helps Him Cross the Finish Line

Derek Redmond was a rising GB track star at Barcelona in 1992, and was doing well in the semi-finals for the 400m sprint when a mid-race injury sent him reeling. It was Redmond's dad who jumped onto the track and rushed to his aid, shooing away officials who tried to escort him from the track. Crying, arms around each other, Redmond and his Dad crossed the finish line together. 

3. Joannie Rochette Skates for Her Mom

Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette had been in Vancouver preparing for the 2010 games only two days before her mother, also in Vancouver for the Olympics, suddenly died of heart failure. Joannie chose to remain in the competition and skated for her mom. "That was the way that mom raised me," Rochette said in an interview. "To be faithful to the person that she made of me, to make her proud.” With her father cheering her on, she captured the bronze with two emotional performances (watch on YouTube).

Photo by Steve Russell / Contributor, Getty Images

4. Danell Levya and his Biggest Fan: His Step Father

When he was a toddler, Levya arrived in America from Cuba with his mother. It was there that his mother developed a relationship with a family friend Yin Alvarez, a gymnast and aspiring gym-owner. Alvarez eventually became Levya's coach, mentor, step-father and biggest fan. He is known for his unbridled exuberance while watching his stepson compete. “I inherited my fight from him,” Levya told the New York Times. “Nothing can break us.” Levya is competing at Rio this year and captured the bronze in the Bronze all-around gymnastics in London in 2012.

Photo by Kansas City Star Contributor via Getty Images

5. Jen Kish Celebrates With Her Dad after Bronze Rugby Win

When the Canadian Women's Rugby team took home bronze in the Rugby 7s, captain Jen Kish made a bee-line for her dad in the stands, where they hugged and cried with joy together. Her dad had carried two jobs to support her and her brother while they were growing up, and he was only a few months into cancer remission when he was in the stands to witness his daughter win an Olympic Medal in Rio, just a few days into the 2016 games.

Any moments we missed? Let us know in the comments!