Running for the Revolution, a documentary that chronicles the life of Olympic athletics legend and World Athletics council member Alberto Juantorena is set for release in August 2021.

Produced and directed by Mark Craig, the film takes the viewer back to the start of the legendary Cuban’s journey to his historic 400m/800m double triumph at the 1976 Olympic Games as well as his lifelong service to the sport he loves.

Five years in the making, the feature length film was made possible with support from World Athletics Heritage as well as the International Olympic Committee and Dentsu and who provided generous assistance with archive footage.

“If ever we need proof that sport doesn’t just mirror social and political trends but shapes them, ‘Running for the Revolution’ is it,” World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said.

The film will be available on iTunes and Amazon on 2-3 August in the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, Europe and Latin America, as well as in most Asian and African countries. It will also be broadcast in Israel (Yes) on 25 July and Belgium (VRT) on 1 August.

In 1976, Alberto Juantorena became the first man to win both the 400m and 800m titles at the same Olympic Games*.

No man has been able to summon the necessary mix of speed and stamina to duplicate the feat at any Olympic Games or major championships since. In both races, the powerful Cuban beat US favourites to the line – Fred Newhouse in the 400m and Rick Wolhuter in the 800m – breaking the world record in the latter in what was just his first season of running the event.

Back in Havana, the magnitude of the David vs Goliath symbolism of his double triumph cannot be overstated. The victories, which he dedicated to the Cuban Revolution, elevated him to iconic status on the Caribbean island nation where he’s known to this day as its greatest Olympic champion.

In Running for the Revolution, filmmaker Mark Craig engagingly weaves personal, athletic and political drama to tell Juantorena’s remarkable story, mostly in his own words, from his modest beginnings in Santiago de Cuba to his heroics in Montreal and to his current role as a national and international administrator in the sport that has defined him – and that he himself has helped define.