In a recent interview, Mike Chinoy, a former senior correspondent for CNN and an Emmy Award-winning journalist, shared his thoughts on Taiwan’s impressive performance at this year’s Paris Olympics, where the national team brought home two gold and five bronze medals. Among the notable athletes is boxing champion Lin Yu-ting, who has gained significant fame. However, it’s worth noting that it has been nearly 60 years since Chi Cheng won a bronze medal at the Mexico Olympics, and over six decades since Yang Chuan-kuang became Taiwan’s first Olympic medalist by securing a win at the 1960 Rome Olympics.

While the celebrations from 64 years ago were exuberant, Chinoy pointed out that today’s younger athletes seem largely unaware of Yang’s historic feats. “It’s disappointing,” he remarked, referencing the fading memory of Yang’s achievements, especially in light of his close friendship with Rafer Johnson, the American athlete who won gold and bested Yang in Rome. Johnson, who is also celebrated as a key figure in the civil rights movement, remains a well-known name in the U.S.

“Even today, their rivalry is regarded as one of the greatest moments in Olympic history,” Chinoy commented.

This reflection on their contrasting paths motivated Chinoy to craft a documentary entitled “Decathlon: The CK Yang & Rafer Johnson Story.” He co-wrote and narrated the film alongside former Wall Street Journal Asia reporter John Krich. The duo dedicated several years to researching and collaborated with Taiwanese-Canadian director Cheng Wei-yan, ultimately completing the project over five years. The film is set to premiere on the TaiwanPlus platform coinciding with the Paris Olympics.

The documentary centers on the legendary showdown between Yang and Johnson during the Rome Olympics, capturing their intense rivalry through to the final moments of the 1500 meters, where they were separated by mere seconds. Their story goes beyond competition, highlighting a powerful friendship that transcended race and nationality—a poignant chapter in Olympic history.

“They were both striving to be the best athletes in the world while being the best of friends,” Chinoy explained. “They trained together under the same coach at UCLA and jokingly called themselves a ‘Two-Man United Nations.'”

He emphasized how their bond serves as a reminder of a time before the sport was clouded by issues like money and doping scandals.

Yang, who was an indigenous Amis individual, and Johnson, an African American, were fierce competitors in the arena but shared a profound friendship outside of it. From Yang’s rise to prominence through their shared training experiences in the U.S., to attending each other’s significant life events and Johnson’s final visit to Yang before his passing, their connection was deep.

Chinoy noted an iconic moment after the decathlon’s 1500 meters in Rome, when Johnson collapsed onto Yang. Johnson’s words in the documentary resonate powerfully: “I felt as much sorrow for my friend’s loss as I felt joy for my own victory. Likewise, he felt disappointed in losing to me but was just as happy for my success.”

Chinoy expressed his curiosity about what the athletes felt for each other at that moment, imagining himself as a reporter asking them, “What do you think of each other at this moment?”

At 72, Chinoy has become a familiar face in Western media when covering significant events in Taiwan. He moved to Taiwan in 2022 specifically to work on this documentary.

In the film, audiences can often see the perspectives of both Chinoy and Krich intertwined. Chinoy explained that they aimed to capture all aspects of the relationship between the two athletes, noting that no prior documentary had delved into this story.

Chinoy hopes the documentary will have an impact. This 45-minute film includes rare footage, including an interview with Yang from 2006—his last known interview before his death in 2007.

Despite Yang’s historic status as Taiwan’s first Olympic medalist and the first with a Chinese surname to earn a medal, Chinoy lamented the fading recognition of his legacy, particularly as political changes in Taiwan and Yang’s extensive time in the U.S. may contribute to this oversight.

Chinoy compared the Cold War era they lived through to contemporary social movements in the U.S., like Black Lives Matter, as well as ongoing tensions across the Taiwan Strait, asserting that the film remains relevant.

Discussing the challenges in producing the documentary, Chinoy spoke about the difficulties in gathering resources and archives. He expressed gratitude to many contributors, including Johnson’s family, who generously shared home videos and recordings of Johnson reading from his autobiography, which helped offset the lack of an interview with him.

Despite production challenges, Chinoy is satisfied with the final product, describing “Decathlon” as potentially the most emotionally impactful work he’s been a part of.

He attributed part of the film’s appeal to the use of animation, which adds a unique emotional nuance to the documentary, given that it recounts events from over half a century ago, when acquiring rights to archival footage proved to be both costly and challenging.

Chinoy hopes this documentary may reignite recognition for Yang’s legacy in Taiwan, suggesting that establishing a memorial could be a meaningful initiative.

“I truly hope that if enough people watch this documentary, someone might take action to acknowledge his contributions,” Chinoy concluded.