British athlete and missionary, born in Tientsin, E China. He studied at Eltham College, London, and Edinburgh University. At the 1924 Olympics in Paris he won the bronze medal in the 200 m, and then caused a sensation by winning the gold medal in the 400 m (at which he was comparatively inexperienced) in a world record time of 47·6 s. In 1925, having completed his degree in science, and a degree in divinity, he went to China to work as a missionary. During World War 2 he was interned by the Japanese, and not long before the war ended he died of a brain tumour. The story of his athletic triumphs was told in the film Chariots of Fire (1981).
Eric Henry Liddell (January 16, 1902 – February 21, 1945) was a Scottish athlete and Rugby Union international and the winner of the Men's 400 metres at the Olympic Games of 1924 held in Paris.
Early life
Eric Liddell, fondly called the "flying scotsman", was born in Tientsin (Tianjin) in North China, second son of Rev & Mrs James Dunlop Liddell who were Scottish missionaries with the London Missionary Society. Liddell went to school in China until the age of five.
At Eltham, Liddell was an outstanding sportsman, being awarded the Blackheath Cup as the best athlete of his year, playing for the 1st XI and the 1st XV by the age of 15, later becoming Captain of both cricket and rugby. Eric Liddell became well known for being the fastest runner in Scotland while at Eltham.
Liddell was chosen to speak for Glasgow Students' Evangelical Union (GSEU) because he was so well known. It was Liddell's job to be the lead speaker and to evangelize the men of Scotland.
University of Edinburgh
In 1920, Eric joined his brother Rob at the University of Edinburgh to read Pure Science.
Paris Olympics
| Olympic medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's athletics | |||
| Gold | Paris 1924 | 400 metres | |
| Bronze | Paris 1924 | 200 metres | |
During the summer of 1924, the Olympics were hosted by the city of Paris. Liddell was a committed Christian and he refused to race on Sunday, with the consequence that he was forced to withdraw from the Men's 100 metres, his best event. Liddell spent the intervening months training for the 400 metres, an event in which he had previously excelled. Liddell also ran the 200 metre race, for which he received the bronze medal, beating Harold Abrahams, who finished in sixth place.
Service in China
After the Olympics and his graduation he returned to North China where he served as a missionary with the China Inland Mission, like his parents, from 1925 to 1943 - first in Tientsin (Tianjin) and later in Siaochang. Liddell's first job as a missionary was as a teacher at an Anglo-Chinese College (grades 1-12) for wealthy Chinese students.
In 1941, life in China was becoming so dangerous that the British Government advised British nationals to leave. Florence and the children left for Canada to stay with her family when Liddell accepted a new position at a rural mission station in Siaochang, which gave service to the poor. Liddell arrived at the station in time to relieve his brother who was ill, needing to go on furlough. Liddell suffered many hardships himself at this mission station. Liddell became a leader at the camp and helped get it organized.
The city of Weifang, as part of the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the internment camp, commemorated the life of Liddell by laying a wreath at a memorial marking his grave in 2005.
Chariots of Fire
The 1981 film Chariots of Fire commemorated the Olympic triumphs and contrasted the lives and viewpoints of both Liddell and Harold Abrahams, starring Ian Charleson as Liddell. One inaccuracy in the movie surrounds Liddell's refusal to race in the 100 metres. The film portrays Liddell as finding out that one of the heats was to be held on a Sunday as he was boarding the boat that would take the British Olympic team across the English Channel on their way to Paris. Actually, the schedule and Liddell's decision were known well in advance, although it is the fact he refused to partake that is significant. The scene in the movie where Liddell fell early in a 400 race in a Scotland-France dual meet and made up a 20-metre deficit to win the race is, however, historically accurate.
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