A new documentary film sheds fresh light on one of the most iconic moments in the history of the
Olympic Games. “Decathlon: The C.K. Yang and Rafer Johnson Story,” tells the thrilling tale of
C.K. Yang, Taiwan’s greatest Olympic hero, and his epic contest for the title of “World’s Greatest
Athlete” at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, with his fierce rival – and, unknown to many – best friend,
the African American superstar Rafer Johnson.
It recounts the story of how each man overcame disadvantaged backgrounds and societal prejudice
on opposite sides of the world, to train together, share the same coach, and help each other – even
as they prepared to do battle in Rome.
The film follows two prominent American authors and journalists, John Krich, formerly of the Asian
Wall Street Journal, and former CNN Asia correspondent Mike Chinoy, as they embark on a journey
of discovery, piecing together the remarkable story of their childhood heroes through rare archival
footage, new personal material provided by Yang and Johnson’s families, interviews with relatives,
team-mates and friends, and even declassified Taiwan government documents.
“Rafer and CK are gone now,” Chinoy said. “But their lives, and the challenges they overcame,
contain valuable lessons about friendship, confronting adversity, and being the best that they could
be that can serve to inspire people today.”
The 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome were held against the background of the Cold War. Political
tensions between the ROC on Taiwan and the PRC in China spilled over into the sporting world,
piling immense pressure on Yang to succeed for his nation and for his government. In the U.S., the
emerging civil rights movement needed Johnson to serve the cause by winning gold. Despite the
pressure and the rivalry that it amplified between the two elite athletes, what really shines through
their remarkable story is their enduring friendship.
Today, the lives, challenges, and achievements of C.K. Yang and Rafer Johnson remain highly
relevant. As Rafer Johnson’s widow Betsy observed, “It’s important for people to remember. They
should know about Rafer and C.K. It has so many things in it that apply to life now.”
“This was a very remarkable friendship,” noted Brent Christiansen, former Director of the American
Institute of Taiwan. “In some ways, it was like the US-Taiwan relationship – two people who were
very different but brought out the best in each other.”
The story was created by Krich and Chinoy. Bringing it to life is Taiwanese Canadian director Frank
W. Chen, whose previous documentary, Late Life; The Chien-Ming Wang Story, was nominated for
Best Documentary at the Golden Horse Awards.
“I am honored to have worked on this film with Chinoy and Krich,” said Chen. “A human-centered
story, especially in this day and age, reminded us of the purest and most incredible qualities of
human nature.”
TaiwanPlus’ Head of Programming Eric Yang stated: “It is a privilege to be the platform that
premieres this remarkable documentary. As we enter this Olympic season, it is important to be
inspired by our past, to see how far we have come and remember those significant individuals who
have journeyed ahead of us.”
The rest of the team consists of producers Kevin Chinoy and Francesca Silvestri, whose
film projects have been represented at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes.
Producer James Liu is the founder of Joint Entertainment International, which focuses on
distribution of worldwide independent films in Taiwan, and Joint Pictures, which develops
and produces independent projects.
Producer Brian Yang was the producer for Linsanity, which chronicled the remarkable
journey of Jeremy Lin from unknown basketball player to cultural phenomenon.
“Decathlon: The C.K. Yang and Rafer Johnson Story” is a joint production of WYC Motions,
Freestyle Picture Company, Joint Pictures, 408 Films, Hello Taiwan, and TaiwanPlus.
It will begin streaming on TaiwanPlus Docs on Monday, July 29, and will air on the TaiwanPlus TV
Channel on Sunday, August 4, shortly after the start of the Decathlon event at the Paris Olympics.
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