Hearts of Gold profiles over 20 Canadian athletes who achieved an unusual personal triumph either in or out of Olympic competition. Each story describes a particular obstacle — physical adversity, political situation, technical challenge — and how the athlete found the courage to face it. Included are profiles of such legends as Jewish boxer Sammy Luftspring, whose 1936 protest of the Nazis took him out of Olympic competition; and Larry Lemieux, who gave up the chance of a yachting medal to rescue a capsized Singapore crew. Included are 60 color and black-and-white photos from 1906 to the present.