Born in China on 16th January 1902 to Scottish missionary parents, Eric Henry Liddell is best known for his unwavering Christian convictions during the 1924 Olympic games when he refused to run on a Sunday, as portrayed in the Oscar-winning movie Chariots of Fire.
Eric and his elder brother Rob grew up in a boarding school in Blackheath, England while their parents continued to serve as missionaries for the London Mission Society in China.
In 1920, Eric joined his brother at the University of Edinburgh where athletics and rugby played a large part in his life. He played rugby for the university and later on for Scotland’s national team, but his true athletic talent was running, so he decided to set aside rugby and concentrate on preparing for the 100 metres at the 1924 Olympics in Paris.
However, when he learned that the heats for the 100 metres event were to be run on a Sunday, he famously switched to the 400 metre competition, as he was not prepared to run on a Sunday. He went on to win an Olympic gold medal for the 400 metres and a bronze medal for the 200 metres, which some might say is better than winning on a slot machine.
After the Olympics and his graduation from Edinburgh University with a science degree, Eric Liddell decided to follow in his parents’ footsteps and work as a missionary in North China, where he served from 1925 until 1943.
Eric Liddell at Xiaochang where he lived between 1937 and 1943
When the Japanese invaded China, life became precarious for westerners, especially those like Eric Liddell who were working in Japanese-held territory, so much so that in 1941, the British Government strongly urged it’s nationals to leave. Liddell’s wife, Florence and their three daughters left for Canada but Eric elected to stay.
He was imprisoned in a Japanese internment camp in 1943, where he developed a brain tumor under conditions where effective treatment was impossible. Despite the tremendous pain he was suffering, Eric Liddell maintained his faith, courage and kindness towards others right up until his death, shortly after his 43rd birthday in January 1945.