100-year-old Olympics champion stars in IOC's Opening Ceremony ad

When Agnes Keleti was 19, she was an Olympic favorite in gymnastics. But after the outbreak of World War II, the 1940 and 1944 Games were canceled. She was kicked out of her athletics club for being Jewish and had to go into hiding in the Hungarian countryside. But Keleti survived. She went on to win 10 Olympic medals in gymnastics and was the most awarded athlete in the 1956 Summer Games. Now, at 100 years old, she is the oldest living Olympic champion, and her story headlines the International Olympic Committee’s latest spot in the “Stronger Together” campaign promoting the imminent Tokyo Olympics. The film, which is set to run during the Opening Ceremony juxtaposes Keleti with Sky Brown, the youngest professional skateboarder in the world, who will be competing for Great Britain in the Games. UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Danai Gurira (“Black Panther,” “The Walking Dead”) narrates the spot, which was directed by Martin Desmond Roe and Travon Free via Dirty Robber. The duo recently won an Academy Award for their short film “Two Distant Strangers.” Roe also directed Nike's "Breaking2" attempt at a marathon world record. The new ad follows earlier "Stronger Together" spots centered on resilience amidst continuing panedemic-imposed uncertainty around the Games, as well as on tennis pro Naomi Osaka, who shared her thoughts on not fitting into the traditional "box" of being an Olympian.

100-year-old Olympics champion stars in IOC's Opening Ceremony ad

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