Immortalised by the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddell was a multi-talented athlete who represented Scotland and Great Britain at both track and field, and rugby. 

Born to missionary parents who were working in in Tientsin, China at the time, he attended Eltham College boarding school and the University of Edinburgh. He was an exceptionally fast runner which helped him both in rugby, and on the track where he earned the nickname ‘the flying scotsman.’

1924 Paris Olympics controversy

Controversy came early for the 22 year old athlete at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. Britain was banking on at least two gold medals with Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams. Liddell would run in two events, and Abrahams in three. The two of them were expected to beat off the American challenge to win gold and silver in the 100-metres sprint. The gold medal just depended upon which one was the fastest man on the day of the final. 

But, as a committed Christian, Eric was put on the spot when he discovered that the heats for the 100-metres were on a Sunday. One of the Ten Commandments strongly suggested to him that he should not run on a Sunday, 

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour, and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall not do any work.” 

(Exodus 20:8-10)

Although Christians differ on what ‘labour’ actually means in the passage, Eric was sure that for him it meant that he should not run on a Sunday. The British Olympic Committee leaders tried with all their might to persuade him to run in the heats. They even brought in the highly influential Prince of Wales (who would later become the short-lived King Edward 8th) but even the future king could not persuade Eric to compromise his beliefs. 

“A traitor to his country”

It is not only in the twenty-first century that the persuasive power of the press and public opinion hold sway over people, they were a force to be reckoned with a century ago as well. Liddell’s fellow British athlete Greville Young said while those who knew Liddell were aware of his strong religious feelings, 

“it caused tremendous furore amongst many people, particularly with the newspapers and journalists”. 

Reporters came to the athlete’s accommodation demanding to speak to him on the issue. Greville added, 

“[the press] were quite menacing… and there were cries of, ‘He’s a traitor to his country’.”

Nevertheless, Eric was not unduly concerned about their views. To him, his obedience to God was more important than even winning an Olympic gold medal. 

A Double Miracle

Liddell’s best event was undoubtedly the 100 metres, and with his withdrawal from the event Abrahams won gold at the 100-metres individual event, together with a silver medal in the 4×100-metres team event. 

Liddell switched to the 400-metres, which was not only risky, it was verging on the impossible. Each distance in athletics needs very specific training. Eric had only prepared for the 100-metres and 200-metres sprints. However, the British Olympic Committee accepted that Eric would not compromise his stand and gave the go-ahead for him to run in the 400-metres event instead. 

Liddell’s coach was confident in his exceptional talent and encouraged him that he could still win the 400-metres event. However, there was little confidence in him winning from the British Olympic Committee or from the press. 

On the morning of the Olympic 400-metres final, he was handed a folded square of paper by one of the team masseurs. Eric was inspired as he read: 

“In the old book it says: ‘He that honours me I will honour.’ Wishing you the best of success always.“ 

Recognising the reference to 1 Samuel 2:30 in the Bible, Eric was profoundly moved that someone other than his coach believed in him and stood by the stance he had taken. In a miraculous turn of events, he won gold medal. 

Ironically, Liddell’s specific sprint training for the 100 and 200-metres events enabled him to win the 400-metres final. In the 1920s, the race had been considered a middle-distance event in which runners normally raced round the first bend before coasting down the back straight. But Eric was inspired by the Biblical passage and felt a divine connection with the message from the masseur. 

Having drawn the outside lane, Eric was deprived of a view of the other runners during the race. He raced the whole of the first 200 metres to be well clear of the favoured Americans, but as he could not see the rest of the competitors, he treated the whole race as a long sprint. He went flat out, and despite being challenged all the way down the home straight, he held on to win in record time. 

He won the 400-metres Olympic final in 47.6 seconds, breaking the World, European, and Olympic records all at the same time! 

A Mission Calling

Despite being a national hero, Eric returned to China just a year after the games. He served there as a Christian missionary for twenty years. When the Japanese invaded China in the mid 1930s, he was put in a Japanese internment camp for civilians. There, his health began to decline. He had an undiagnosed brain tumour together with other health issues brought on by the poor diet in the camp. Eric died in the camp hospital in 1945, shortly before it was liberated at end of World War Two. He was just 43 years old. 

A heroic legacy in Scotland and China

As China was the place of his birth and death, some of the country’s Olympic literature continues to list Eric Liddell as China’s first Olympic champion.

When Scottish athlete Allan Wells won the 100-metre sprint on behalf of Great Britain at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, he was asked if he had run the race for Harold Abrahams, the last 100-metre Olympic winner from Britain. Allan replied,  

“No, I would prefer to dedicate this to Eric Liddell”. 

When the first famous Scots were inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, Eric Liddell topped the public vote for the most popular sporting hero Scotland had ever produced. He was also inducted into the Scottish Rugby Hall of Fame in 2022, on the centenary of his first international Rugby cap.

Even at the youthful age of 22, Eric Liddell had firmly followed his Christian principles and the words of his Saviour Jesus Christ. Jesus said, 

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”

(Mark 8:34-38)

 

Story by Ralph Burden

Photo attribution: Public Domain

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