"Czech runner Emil Zátopek, a factory worker who, despite an initial contempt for athletics as a young man, is forced to participate in a footrace and soon develops a curious passion for the physical limits he discovers as a long distance runner. Zátopek's determination and uniquely brutal training regime lead him to break numerous world records, culminating in an unparalleled win of three gold medals at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. Despite being heralded as a national hero and adored around the world for his astonishing physical accomplishments, Zátopek becomes a victim of the controlling communist regime that once supported him"--Jacket.