The astonishing story of Olympic icon Edwin Moses is firmly placed against his incredible unbeaten streak that had run for 9 years, 9 months, and 9 days.
No one ruled the track and field icon like no other athlete did over the 400-meter hurdles; he won 122 straight races and went on to become one of the greatest athletes to ever tread the very surface.
There is a documentary, Unbreakable: The Edwin Moses Story, that recounts him from his starting as a physics major with no official hurdle training to his later rise as one of the world’s best-known athletes and two-time Olympic medallist. Moses, who was lauded for his lightning-fast speed and fluid, effective hurdling technique, changed the sport with an unprecedented winning run from 1977 to 1987. Through that span, he hardly lost on the track.
According to project director Lisa Rodriguez, she looks forward to sharing Moses’ journey with a whole new generation. “Edwin Moses wasn’t simply a champion was a trailblazer who could make science mix with athleticism in a way that had never been seen,” she says. “His story is one of perseverance, intellect, and sheer determination, and we aim to showcase the humanity behind the record-breaking performances.”
But the film is about more than just his athletic achievements. It will also tell of how Moses was at the forefront of leadership in the reform of the sport, particularly the struggle for fair amateur athlete treatment and the establishment of drug-testing policies that gave clean sweeps to international competitions.
Moses chaired the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Substance Abuse Task Force, leaving behind a legacy outside the track and field.
Audiences will see gripping portrayals of the emotional and physical challenges Moses faced to ultimately forgo his opportunity to compete in the 1980 Moscow Olympics when the U.S. boycotted. Still, Moses returned to eventually dominate the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, taking home his second gold medal.
With interviews from former competitors, coaches, and sports historians, Unbreakable will try to open a window into the head and heart of an athlete who not only was very good on the track but saw this as a springboard to speak out for what’s fair and right in sports. The movie is slated for next summer, and early word would have it be the new landmark sports biopic.
