The Winter Olympics 2018 are just over 1 month away. We’ve waited 4 long years to see how each country’s best athletes will perform after years of preparation. With thousands of elite athletes competing in approximately 100 events, it promises to be an exciting two weeks.
Since its inception in 1924, the Winter Olympic games have produced countless champions. Athletes such as 4-time world champion Speedskater, Inga Artamonova, 2-time NHL MVP & hall-of-famer, Bobby Hull, 4-time overall world cup downhill skiing legend, Marc Girardelli, and 1948 olympic bobsleigh gold-medalists, Felix Endrich and Fritz Waller. All hold legendary status in their respective sport. However, as sports training, medicine and technology have improved over time, so have the performances of today’s champions compared to those of the past.
Is the improvement in athletic performance only due to advances in technology or are today’s athletes more exceptional than their predecessors? Our production, Champions vs. Legends is an intriguing exploration of what would happen if today’s top winter athletes compete in vintage gear against legends of the past. Just in time for the upcoming Winter Olympics 2018 from February 9th -25th!
Champions vs. Legends is an enlightening 1 hr documentary led by renowned sports scientist Steve Haake. We challenge an elite line-up of winter athletes to compete against the legends of five winter sports: Christine Nesbitt – Speed Skating, Max Arndt and Alex Rodiger – Bobsleigh, Manuel Feller – Giant Slalom, Anna Schaffelhuber – sit-skiing, and Shea Weber – Hockey.
In the speedskating event, we create 60s-era skates for Christine Nesbitt to see whether she can top Inga Artamanova’s impressive speed skating record. We challenge bobsledders Max Arndt and Alex Rödiger to beat the Swiss legends, Endrich and Waller, using a vintage 1948 bobsleigh. Austrian Giant Slalom champion Manuel Feller goes head to head with skiing legend Marc Girardelli and Paralympic champion sit-skier Anna Schaffelhuber tries out the early model sit-ski to see how it stacks up against her own high-tech gear. And in the final challenge, top defenseman Shea Weber tries to surpass the blistering slapshot speed of hockey legend Bobby Hull using a wooden stick of the era. In each matchup between a modern and a legendary hero, the result is enlightening and unpredictable.
Mark January 28th, 8pm on your calendar to watch the world-premiere of ‘Champions vs. Legends‘ on CBC Docs, The Nature of Things with David Suzuki.
