Beyond Bronze, Silver and Gold stories feature living summer and winter Olympians and Paralympians of all age, class, race, gender, sexuality, religion from participating Olympic countries. BBSG also supports the Olympic Project for Human Rights.

Thank you for your interest in Beyond Bronze, Silver and Gold. My docu-series features the stories of Olympians who may not have been medalists or in the “limelight” during their games, but are Olympians with stories (from before, during or after their Olympic competition) that are incredibly compelling, truly inspiring and worthy of documentation. Beyond Bronze, Silver and Gold covers a wide variety of Olympic athletes from all Olympic sports and all participating countries. Each 15-20 minute episode features candid interviews with Olympians recounting their experiences first-hand, coupled with their own, never-before-seen footage and personal photos. These stories impart a unique and intimate perspective that viewers rarely see elsewhere.

 

Currently awaiting funding for post-production, the premiere episode highlights the amazing untold stories of two Olympians; Steven Genter, a member of the 1972 USA Olympic swim team and Gabor Csepregi, a 3 time Canadian Olympian.

 

Steven Genter’s story is one of courage and perseverance in competition while facing excruciating bodily pain. In 1972, Genter had emerged as one of the best freestyle swimmers in the world and qualified for the USA team at the Munich Olympic Games. Genter suffered a collapsed lung 6 days before these 1972 Games began. He spent those days in a Munich hospital having a tube inserted into his chest, using only topical anesthetic and taking no prescription medications. He was released from the hospital the day before his first Olympic event, the 200 meter freestyle.

The Steven Genter story also features interviews with Mark Spitz, 1968 and 1972 Olympic 9-time gold medalist, Jim Montrella, Steve’s childhood coach and an Olympic swim coach for both USA (1976) and Colombia (1972) teams, Rick Demont, 1972 Olympic swimmer and first man to break the 4 minute mark in the 400m freestyle, Kurt Krumpholz, a world record holder of 400m freestyle and UCLA teammate and Mindy Dougherty, a longtime teammate and close friend.

 

On a starless northern Yugoslavian night in 1968, Hungarian born Gabor Csepregi waded into the Adriatic Sea, concerned only about the communist patrol boats that stood between his life behind the oppressive Iron Curtain and the freedom of a beach in Italy. Gabor was 18 then, ostensibly on vacation, and he hadn't breathed a word to his family, who were all back in Budapest. His plan was simple, swim throughout the darkness and land on the sandy shores of liberation. 

 The Gabor Csepregi story also features interviews with 10 Canadian Olympians who either were teammates of Gabor's and/or played for him.  Also included are interviews with Gabor's spouse, who was a witness and survivor of the 1956 Soviet Union invasion of Hungary, Gabor’s childhood coach in Budapest and his current swim coach in Winnipeg. Also, one of Gabor’s childhood friends, who is a 1972 Munich silver medalist water polo player for Hungary and was the head coach of 2000 Australian gold medal women’s Olympic water polo team Lastly, the former Hungarian Minister of Sport who is also a renown Hungarian athlete and journalist. These interviews for Gabor’s story were shot in Budapest, Hungary, including the legendary the Alfred Hajos Aquatic Complex, during 2017 FINA World Aquatic Games.  Also at the Parc Olympic pool Montreal, site of 1976 Olympic swimming diving and water polo competitions and at the Universite St. Boniface in Winnipeg Manitoba.

 

The accomplishments of these two Olympians are undeniable, and their untold stories deserve to be shared.

 

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