Running the streets of Rome in 1960, an unknown, barefoot Ethiopian man stunned the world by winning Olympic gold in the marathon. 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, the first person in history to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in the marathon. This soldier and quiet son of a shepherd is considered by many the greatest long-distance runner in history.

When a car accident in the Ethiopian countryside left him paralyzed from the waist down, Bikila faced the greatest challenge of his life. In the struggle to maintain the will to live, Bikila discovered a deeper meaning of competition -- as an archer in the Paralympics and a dogsledder in Norway. The Athlete is the tale of extraordinary determination and a singular man, Abebe Bikila.

Told for the first time, this true story has been rendered with emotional power and cinematic grace.