Eric Liddell

At church our minister touched on the subject of Eric Liddell's gold medal won in the 1924 Paris Olympics.

Eric Liddell was born in China to Scots missionaries.  He was sent back to Scotland at the age of five for schooling.  He played seven times for Scotland in the National Rugby Team before taking up running.  He was due to run the 100 metres at the 1924 Olympic Games in  Paris but the heats were to be run on a Sunday.  He was a confirmed Christian and so refused to run on a Sunday.  He changed tack and tackled the 400m but was not seen to be the favourite for this race.  However, he won Gold!!!

Afterwards he did a degree at Edinburgh and then became like his parents a missionary in China.  He married a Canadian girl, and had two daughters.  When the war broke out he sent his pregnant wife and girls back to Canada, and he stayed in China. In 1943 he was taken a prisoner of the Japanese and interned.  He died in 1945 just five months before the war ended.  

Such an interesting and good man!  After one hundred years his name still stands as a testament to his faith.