Rusty Kanokogi grew up running the streets of Coney Island with her girl gang and hustling tourists on the boardwalk. Heading down a dark path, she was saved by the sport of judo. In 1959 she competed against a man and won, only to have her medal stripped from her for being a woman. She was not allowed to win. Rusty swore to never let such injustice befall another woman, a vow that sparked a fifty-year career fighting for equality—a tireless battle she would take all the way to the Olympics.