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Athlete, The (PG)

Athlete, The (PG)

Biography, Drama

Running the streets of Rome in 1960, an unknown, barefooted Ethiopian man stunned the world by winning Olympic gold in the marathon. Read more …

Overnight, Abebe Bikila became a sports legend. A hero in his own country and to the continent, Bikila was the first African to win a gold medal, and four years later in Tokyo would become the first person in history to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in the marathon.

More information on this production is available at www.ballparkfilmdistributors.com.

The critical consensus

While the archive clips of Bikila's victories are thrilling, the performances are flat and the script tired.

**(*)(*)(*)Henry Barnes, The Guardian, 28/06/2012

Abebe Bikila maybe deserved something a little better, but this is decent enough for the time being.

David Jenkins, Little White Lies, 28/06/2012

The story of Ethiopian marathon legend Abebe Bikila can't muster the drama it deserves.

Jason Solomons, The Observer, 01/07/2012

Where and when?

Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow from Wednesday July 4, 2012. More info: http://www.glasgowfilm.org/theatre/

Edinburgh Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Monday July 2, 2012, until Thursday July 5, 2012. More info: www.filmhousecinema.com

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