Juantorena during the shooting of the film at the Peña del Parque Central in Havana.
Havana, November 15 (RHC) -- "Running for the Revolution," a feature film about two-time Montreal-76 Olympic champion Alberto Juantorena, won the Cándido Cannavo Award for Olympic Spirit at the Milan Film Festival in Milan, Italy.
Produced by World Athletics (WA) and directed by filmmaker Mark Craig, the documentary recreates the sporting life of one of the legends of Cuban sport, winner of the Olympic titles in 400 and 800 meters in Montreal-76 and selected the best athlete in the world in 1977.
The film features the participation of great rivals of the Cuban, such as the American Frederick Newhouse, runner-up in the 400 m in Montreal and was premiered last year 2020 during the 42nd edition of the Havana International Film Festival.
"I have been interested in athletics since I was a teenager. I also dreamed of running in the Olympics, but I had no talent! However, I really enjoyed watching the sport and was lucky enough to see Juantorena compete in Europe a year after his great success in Montreal. His presence on the track opened the doors to Cuba for me, as I knew very little about it before," Craig told the Cubadebate portal last year.
Juantorena, 70 years old, achieved in addition to his two Olympic gold medals, two other titles in 400 and 800 meters in the Dusseldorf-1977 World Cup and twice improved the world record in the double lap around the oval.
He is currently the president of the Cuban Athletics Federation and of the World Athletics Council.
